Guilty of dumping 60 million pounds of asbestos debris…

October 19, 2012 General

Two to be sentenced over illegal dumping of debris on New York farm.

Photo courtesy of Department of Justice
Where to dump 60 million pounds of demolition debris, much of it containing asbestos? How about an upstate New York farm that also has wetlands and runs along a river? That act led to the conviction this week of two men who now face years in prison and hefty fines.

A jury on Tuesday found Cross Nicastro, owner of the 28-acre farm on the Mohawk River in Frankfort, and Dominick Mazza, owner of a waste management company, guilty of violating the Clean Water Act.

The debris came from New Jersey rubbish that was put through an industrial shredding machine without the asbestos first being removed.

The defendants “flouted numerous federal laws designed to protect Americans from exposure to toxic materials when they dumped asbestos-contaminated waste into an area that included sensitive wetlands,” Assistant U.S. Attorney General Ignacia Moreno said in a statement.

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