Michael J. Ward, Clean Water Act Crimes, New York 2018
Syracuse, New York – Michael J. Ward, age 54, of Gouverneur, New York, has pleaded guilty to three felony counts of violating the Clean Water Act. Ward was employed as the Technical Director in charge of environmental compliance at the APC Paper Group paper mill in Norfolk, New York.
According to the United States Attorney, Michael J. Ward caused the paper mill to violate its Clean Water Act permit by discharging wastewater containing excessive levels of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) into the Raquette River. BOD is the amount of dissolved oxygen necessary for microorganisms in the water to break down organic material.
The paper mill’s Clean Water Act permit restricted the amount of BOD that could be discharged through wastewater. Ward admitted in court that he was responsible for monitoring, calculating, and reporting the paper mill’s compliance with its Clean Water Act permit. He further admitted that he hid and falsified data regarding the BOD levels in the mill’s wastewater discharges, thus allowing the mill to violate its Clean Water Act permit on a regular basis.
Additionally, Ward repeatedly falsified monthly reports to the DEC to hide the continuing Clean Water Act violations. The defendant’s illegal conduct was discovered after he was fired by APC Paper Group for unrelated reasons in the fall of 2015.
The charges to which Ward pled guilty carry a maximum sentence of up to 3 years in prison, a fine of up to $800,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 1 year. Ward will be sentenced in federal court in Binghamton on January 26, 2018, by Senior United States District Judge Thomas J. McAvoy.
This case was investigated by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division (EPA-CID) and the New York State DEC, Division of Law Enforcement and Bureau of Environmental Crimes Investigation Unit (BECI), and it is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Perry.
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Environmental Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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