Lee Vann Crawford Pleads Guilty to Illegal E-Waste Dumping

Greenville man Lee Vann Crawford, 51, pleaded guilty yesterday to Knowing Storage of Hazardous Waste Without a Permit, a federal crime under Title 42, United States Code, Section 6928(d)(2)(A), after years of operating an unlicensed e-waste dump in eastern North Carolina.

Crawford owned and operated Eastern Electronics Recycling, USA, a company that claimed to responsibly handle electronic waste like old televisions and computer monitors. In reality, federal prosecutors say he hoarded massive amounts of cathode ray tubes (CRTs) at 800 W. Green Street in Robersonville, Martin County—shattered, unsecured, and leaking toxic lead into the environment.

As early as 2012, Crawford began stockpiling broken-down e-waste without a permit from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or the State of North Carolina. CRTs, known to leach lead when damaged, were left in piles, many already busted open. No recycling or proper disposal was conducted—just accumulation on a scale that turned the site into a public hazard.

In June 2019, the EPA raided the location under a search warrant and collected samples from multiple spots across the property. Testing revealed lead levels between 102 and 188 milligrams per liter—up to 37 times the legal limit for hazardous waste, which is set at five milligrams per liter.

The crime carries a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison and a $50,000 fine for each day of violation. Sentencing is set for February 2022. Acting U.S. Attorney G. Norman Acker, III announced the plea, emphasizing that deliberate environmental violations won’t go unpunished.

“The illegal storage and disposal of Cathode Ray Tube waste containing hazardous amounts of Lead contamination needlessly put the lives of the residents of Martin County, NC, and general public at an increased risk to Lead exposure,” said Special Agent in Charge Charles Carfagno of EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division. The case was investigated by the EPA CID and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, with Assistant U.S. Attorney William M. Gilmore prosecuting. Court records are available under Case No. 5:20-CR-245-1D(2) via the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or PACER.

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