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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
May 15, 2008
FEDERAL INDICTMENT CHARGES LAWRENCE MAN WITH VIOLATING CLEAN WATER ACT
Other grand jury indictments: Drug trafficking, interfering with U.S. Marshals
TOPEKA, KAN. – Raymond Sawyer, 56, Lawrence, Kan., and his company, MagnaGro International., Inc., are charged with unlawfully discharging waste from a fertilizer manufacturing operation into the city of Lawrence’s sewer system.
Sawyer and the company are charged with criminal violations of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, which is also known as the Clean Water Act.
“Federal law regulates discharges of wastewater into publicly owned sewer systems,” said U.S. Attorney Eric Melgren. “The law exists because sewage treatment plants are major potential sources of water pollutants and because the plants represent enormous investments of public funds.”
According to the indictment:
– Sawyer operated MagnoGro International., Inc., at 600 E. 22nd Street in Lawrence.
– In 2001, Sawyer and MagnaGro discharged a large quantity of industrial waste into the Lawrence sewer system, interfering with the system’s operation. As a result, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the city of Lawrence told Sawyer not to discharge more material into the city’s sewer system.
– On Sept. 17, 2007, agents from the federal Environmental Protection Agency - Criminal Investigation Division served a search warrant at MagnaGro. They determined that Sawyer was discharging waste from MagnaGro’s fertilizer production directly into the city’s sewer system. Sawyer had been pumping water from a waste pit surrounding the fertilizer mixing vat. The waste was pumped through a hose and into a toilet stool at the MagnaGro facility.
If convicted, Sawyer faces a maximum penalty of three years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The company could be fined up to $500,000. The Environmental Protection Agency - Criminal Investigation Division worked on the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Kenney and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Ray Bosch are prosecuting.
OTHER INDICTMENTS
A federal grand jury meeting Wednesday in Topeka also returned the following indictments:
Carlos Dupree Romious, 43, Kansas City, Mo., is charged with unlawful conduct in the federal courthouse at 500 State Avenue in Kansas City, Kan. He is charged with one count of failing to comply with the direction of federal law enforcement officers, one count of disorderly conduct, and one count of interfering with U.S. Marshals. The crimes are alleged to have occurred May 6, 2008.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 30 days in federal prison and a fine up to $5,000 on the misdemeanor charges of failure to comply with law enforcement officers and disorderly conduct. He faces a maximum penalty of 8 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the felony charge of interfering with U.S. Marshals. The U.S. Marshal Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Leon Patton is prosecuting.
Martha E. Villapudua-Sarabia, 39, Modesto, Calif., is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine, and one count of interstate travel for the purpose of drug trafficking. The crime is alleged to have occurred April 30, 2008, in Ellis County, Kan.
If convicted, she faces a penalty of not less than 10 years and not more than life and a fine up to $4 million on the cocaine charge, and a maximum penalty of 5 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the interstate travel charge. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch is prosecuting.
Oliver Warren Bradwell, 44, Salina, Kan.; Jennifer Lee Padgette, 36, Salina, Kan., Gary Lee Jones, 55, Salina, Kan., and Misty D. Walker, Wichita, Kan., are charged with conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine. The crime is alleged to have occurred from October 2007 through March 5, 2008, in Saline County, Kan.
In addition to the conspiracy charge:
– Jones is charged with seven counts of distributing crack cocaine and three counts of using a telephone in furtherance of drug trafficking.
– Bradwell is charged with three counts of using a telephone in furtherance of drug trafficking, four counts of distributing crack cocaine, and one count of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine.
– Padgett is charged with one count of distributing crack cocaine.
– Walker is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine.
Upon conviction, the crimes carry the following penalties:
– Conspiracy: A penalty of not less than 5 years and not more than 40 years in federal prison and a fine up to $2 million.
– Possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine: A penalty of not less than 5 years and not more than 40 years in federal prison and a fine up to $2 million.
– Distributing: A maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $1 million.
– Using a phone in furtherance of drug trafficking: A maximum penalty of 4 years in federal prison and a fine up to $30,0000.
The Salina Police Department investigated. Special Assistant U.S. attorney Jason Coody is prosecuting.
Steven Anthony Hunter, Jr., 30, who is in custody in the Shawnee County Jail, is charged with unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction. The crime is alleged to have occurred April 23, 2008, in Saline County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Hough is prosecuting.
Michael Anthony Washington, 21, who is in the custody of the Kansas Department of Corrections, is charged with two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony convictions. The crimes are alleged to have occurred Sept. 7, 2007, and Nov. 17, 2007, in Geary County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy Hendershot is prosecuting.
Juan Pablo Pulido-Molina, 20, and Monica Barretero, 30, are charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. The crime is alleged to have occurred from February 2008 through May 6, 2008, in Wyandotte County, Kan.
In addition to the conspiracy charge, Barretero is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and Pulido-Molina is charged with attempting to distribute – and possession with intent to distribute – methamphetamine.
If convicted, they face a penalty of not less than 10 years and not more than life, and a fine up to $4 million, on each count. The Osage County Sheriff’s Office and Drug Enforcement Administration Interdiction Task Force investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Trent Krug is prosecuting.
As in any criminal case, a person is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments filed merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.
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