| CARE |
A Slap on the Wrist
MAHOPAC MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO OPERATING ILLEGAL LANDFILL AT
WESTCHESTER COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL
NEW YORK, NY (February 15, 2007)—Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo and the
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today announced
the conviction of a Mahopac man who illegally operated a construction and demolition
debris landfill on the grounds of the Eastchester High School and Middle School.
On January 24, 2007, defendant Anthony Adinolfi, 46, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor
crime under the Environmental Conservation Law before Westchester County Court
Judge Richard A. Molea. Mr. Adinolfi was the president and sole shareholder of Dirt
Man Enterprises, Inc., which has since dissolved. Dirt Man Enterprises engaged in the
transfer of clean dirt and fill from a site where it was excavated to a location where it
was needed. In October 2002, he entered into an agreement with the Eastchester
Union Free School District to enlarge an athletic field by depositing dirt and rock under
the field. Rather than bringing dirt, however, he arranged for others to dump
construction and demolition debris at the site. Mr. Adinolfi, who was operating the
landfill without the necessary permit from the DEC, also charged a fee to those who
dumped at the school.
“An environmental infraction of this nature is a shameful act; the fact that this crime
occurred on the grounds of a school, putting children at risk, is deplorable,� Cuomo
said. “We will continue to prosecute those whose actions threaten the people and
environment of this state.�
Today, Judge Molea sentenced Mr. Adinolfi to pay a fine of $25,000. Additionally, in
August 2004, the Eastchester Union Free School District entered into a Consent Order
with the DEC to address health concerns relating to the construction and demolition
debris left on the field. That Consent Order required the school district to conduct
extensive scientific sampling and groundwater monitoring, re-grade the material, install
an appropriate drainage system, and cover the material with clean fill and vegetation
so that the field could be safely utilized by students.
The case was referred to the Attorney General’s Office by the DEC. The Attorney
General thanked the DEC for its assistance in the investigation.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Hugh L. McLean, under the
supervision of Julieta Lozano, the Environmental Crimes Unit Chief. Investigators
Lawrence McDonald, Lester Dier, and Sal Ventola of the Attorney General’s Office
Investigations Bureau, along with Investigator Beverly Whalen of DEC’s Division of
Law Enforcement, assisted in the investigation.
Click here to read press release
WESTCHESTER COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL
NEW YORK, NY (February 15, 2007)—Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo and the
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today announced
the conviction of a Mahopac man who illegally operated a construction and demolition
debris landfill on the grounds of the Eastchester High School and Middle School.
On January 24, 2007, defendant Anthony Adinolfi, 46, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor
crime under the Environmental Conservation Law before Westchester County Court
Judge Richard A. Molea. Mr. Adinolfi was the president and sole shareholder of Dirt
Man Enterprises, Inc., which has since dissolved. Dirt Man Enterprises engaged in the
transfer of clean dirt and fill from a site where it was excavated to a location where it
was needed. In October 2002, he entered into an agreement with the Eastchester
Union Free School District to enlarge an athletic field by depositing dirt and rock under
the field. Rather than bringing dirt, however, he arranged for others to dump
construction and demolition debris at the site. Mr. Adinolfi, who was operating the
landfill without the necessary permit from the DEC, also charged a fee to those who
dumped at the school.
“An environmental infraction of this nature is a shameful act; the fact that this crime
occurred on the grounds of a school, putting children at risk, is deplorable,� Cuomo
said. “We will continue to prosecute those whose actions threaten the people and
environment of this state.�
Today, Judge Molea sentenced Mr. Adinolfi to pay a fine of $25,000. Additionally, in
August 2004, the Eastchester Union Free School District entered into a Consent Order
with the DEC to address health concerns relating to the construction and demolition
debris left on the field. That Consent Order required the school district to conduct
extensive scientific sampling and groundwater monitoring, re-grade the material, install
an appropriate drainage system, and cover the material with clean fill and vegetation
so that the field could be safely utilized by students.
The case was referred to the Attorney General’s Office by the DEC. The Attorney
General thanked the DEC for its assistance in the investigation.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Hugh L. McLean, under the
supervision of Julieta Lozano, the Environmental Crimes Unit Chief. Investigators
Lawrence McDonald, Lester Dier, and Sal Ventola of the Attorney General’s Office
Investigations Bureau, along with Investigator Beverly Whalen of DEC’s Division of
Law Enforcement, assisted in the investigation.
Click here to read press release
John Fitzgerald who lives in Valhalla which was also victimized by the Dirt Man and an
increduously incompetent school board summed up our reaction...
Click here to read
increduously incompetent school board summed up our reaction...
Click here to read