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Brian Dale Fleming Guilty of Polluting Big Piney River
A Cabool, Mo., man has pleaded guilty to violating the Clean Water Act by dumping used grease into the Big Piney River. Brian Dale Fleming, 51, owner of BF Byproducts, LLC, faces a fine of $15,000 and restitution payment of $3,818 to the state of Missouri.
Fleming’s business, BF Byproducts, collects used grease from hundreds of restaurants in Missouri, Arkansas, and elsewhere. The grease is transported to the Cabool facility, where it is recycled for resale and a profit. However, employees were instructed by Fleming to pump waste grease down a hill from the main plant processing facility, which entered an unnamed tributary that leads into the Big Piney River.
On April 2, 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency – Criminal Investigation Division (EPA-CID) executed a search warrant at BF Byproducts in conjunction with the Texas County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department. The search warrant was issued after numerous residents near and adjacent to the grease processing facility complained of used grease being found in nearby ditches and tributaries leading to the Big Piney River.
The case is a repeat offense for Fleming, who served a year and a day of incarceration after being convicted in a separate criminal case involving a conspiracy to steal spent cooking oil from restaurants and transport the stolen property across state lines to a grease recycling business in Tulsa, Okla.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, the government and Fleming recommend a fine of $15,000 and a restitution payment to the state of Missouri of $3,818. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Abram McGull II. It was investigated by the Environmental Protection Agency – Criminal Investigation Division, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, the Texas County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department and the Cabool, Mo., Police Department.
The guilty plea highlights the importance of proper waste management and the consequences of violating environmental laws. As the investigation and prosecution of environmental crimes continue, the public can expect more accountability from those who prioritize profits over the health of our waterways.
Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Category: Public Corruption|White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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