Mark Sawyer, Conspiracy, Tennessee 2015
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. - In a shocking turn of events, five individuals, including Mark Sawyer, 55, of Morristown, Tennessee, a former manager of A&E Salvage, have been sentenced to prison for conspiring to commit Clean Air Act offenses in connection with the illegal removal and disposal of asbestos-containing materials at the former Liberty Fibers Plant in Hamblen County, Tennessee.
According to court documents, the conspirators engaged in a multi-year scheme in which substantial amounts of regulated asbestos-containing materials were removed from the former Liberty Fibers plant without removing all asbestos prior to demolition and stripping, bagging, removing, and disposing of such asbestos in illegal manners and without providing workers the necessary protective equipment.
The EPA has determined that there is no safe level of exposure to asbestos, and the defendants' actions put the health and safety of their workers and the community at great risk.
The sentencing took place over three days and included expert testimony that the exposures of the A&E Salvage workers to asbestos resulted in a substantial likelihood that the workers would suffer death or serious bodily injury as a result of their exposure.
Mark Sawyer, the former manager of A&E Salvage, was sentenced to the statutory maximum of five years in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release. A&E Salvage manager Newell Lynn Smith, 59, of Miami, Florida, was sentenced to 37 months and two years of supervised release. A&E Salvage Manager Eric Gruenberg, 50, of Lebanon, Tennessee, received a 28-month sentence. Armida, 56, and Milto DiSanti, 54, of Miami, Florida, each received sentences of six months in prison, to be followed by six months of home confinement.
The court also ordered all the defendants to pay restitution of more than $10.3 million, which will be returned to Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Superfund, which was used to clean up the plant site contamination.
These sentences should serve as a warning to others who would engage in such reckless and illegal activities.
Defendant Information:
1. Defendant: Mark Sawyer
2. Exact Criminal Charge: Conspiring to commit Clean Air Act offenses
3. City and State: Greeneville, Tennessee
4. Date: January 22, 2015
5. Sentence: Five years in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release
6. Dollar Amount: $10.3 million in restitution
Key Facts
- State: Tennessee
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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