William S. Jackson, Asbestos Violation, Ohio 2023

Asbestos Violation Lands Cleveland Man 33 Months in Prison

Cleveland, OH – William S. Jackson, 47, has been sentenced to nearly three years in prison for violating the Clean Air Act by failing to remove asbestos prior to demolishing a former factory in Cleveland, law enforcement officials said.

Jackson, who operated a Cleveland building demolition company, was sentenced to 33 months in prison and ordered to pay $7.8 million in restitution by U.S. Senior District Judge Donald C. Nugent.

The case stems from the demolition of the former National Acme facility at 170 East 131st Street in Cleveland. The 570,000 square-foot facility was built in 1917 and was used for manufacturing for nearly a century. It is located near many homes and a school.

Christopher Gattarello leased the facility in June 2011 and represented to the lessor that paper and cardboard waste would be recycled at the facility. However, Gattarello had the facility filled with garbage, paper, and cardboard, which led to the release of asbestos fibers into the environment during demolition.

“This defendant knowingly ignored regulations designed to protect the public’s health and safety,” said U.S. Attorney Justin E. Herdman. “He and his co-defendants caused irreparable harm to a Cleveland neighborhood.”

Jackson is the second defendant to be sentenced in connection with the case. Gattarello was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for his crimes earlier this year.

“The defendants in this case put unsuspecting workers at great risk and threatened the health and safety of the community when they failed to follow proper procedures for removing asbestos,” said Scot Adair, Acting Special Agent in Charge of EPA’s criminal enforcement program in Ohio.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brad Beeson and Chelsea Rice following an investigation by the U.S. and Ohio Environmental Protection Agencies, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service.

“Let these sentencings stand as a warning to those who victimize the public that whether you are the main perpetrator of a fraud, or merely assist in its facilitation, the law will hold all guilty parties accountable,” said Ryan L. Korner, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office.

Jackson’s sentence is a result of a successful partnership between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in combating violations of federal law.

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