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TWO FLORIDA MEN CONVICTED IN HAZARDOUS WASTE CASE
Release Date: 04/20/2000
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FOR RELEASE: THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2000
TWO FLORIDA MEN CONVICTED IN HAZARDOUS WASTE CASE
Ralph G. Dearden of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and German Delgado of Hialeah, Fla., were convicted by a jury of conspiracy to violate the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) on April 11. In addition, the jury found Dearden guilty of two counts of illegally disposing of hazardous waste. A third co-defendant, Brian Schneider, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy and is awaiting sentencing. According to the indictment and evidence presented at the trial, Dearden owned and operated D&B Paint Manufacturing Co., in Fort Lauderdale. From the 1970's until 1995, when D&B stopped operations, it generated a variety of hazardous wastes during manufacturing. These included mercury, benzene, lead, methyl ethyl ketone, trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene. Benzene is a known cause of cancer and exposure to sufficient quantities of lead and mercury can cause neurological disorders. All three defendants conspired to dispose of 40 55-gallon drums of these and other wastes so that Dearden could save money on cleaning up his warehouse and rent it to Schneider. The wastes were dumped near the Everglades National Park. Each defendant faces up to five years imprisonment and/or a fine up to $250,000 on each count. The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division, the Dade County Department of Environmental Resources Management’s Environmental Crime Unit and the Florida Marine Patrol. The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida in Miami.
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