Grede Foundry Execs Hit with Major Environmental Charges

United States Attorney Gregory J. Haanstad dropped a bombshell on the Eastern District of Wisconsin with the announcement that Grede, LLC and its subsidiaries, including Grede II, LLC (formerly known as Grede Wisconsin Subsidiaries, LLC), are facing a federal indictment for environmental crimes, conspiracy, and obstruction.

The allegations center around the former Grede Foundry in Berlin, Wisconsin. The seven-count indictment charges Peter J. Mark, 53, of Ixonia, Wisconsin, with being the corporate safety and environmental director; Steven G. O’Connell, 51, and Christy L. McNamee, 40, both from Zanesville, Ohio, who once worked at the now-closed facility.

The indictment paints a grim picture of negligence, stating that workers were ordered to renovate a heat-treat oven filled with dangerous chrysotile asbestos in January 2012 without proper abatement procedures. Workers were said to have been provided with insufficient safety gear and unaware that they were handling asbestos-laden material, which was then disposed of by unsuspecting trash collectors.

Mark, O’Connell, McNamee, and the corporate defendants are accused of conspiring to obstruct state and federal investigators during inquiries into the presence of asbestos. If convicted, Mark, O’Connell, and McNamee could face 11 to 41 years in prison and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines, while the corporate entities could be slammed with millions in criminal penalties.

The investigation was a collaborative effort by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Warden’s Service.

Despite the serious charges, it is important to note that an indictment is merely a charge, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.