Summary

On May 5, J & N International Coatings, Inc. Houston, TX, and its president and co-owner, Drossos Tiliakos, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Oklahoma City, OK to charges of illegally transporting and disposing of hazardous waste. The pleas stem from Tiliakos’ knowledge of the improper disposal of lead-based hazardous waste from bridge sand-blasting operations under two federally-funded projects in Oklahoma. On April 22, 2005, company Secretary-Treasurer Nikoleta Tiliakos pled guilty to delivering a $3,000 bribe to a former Oklahoma state contract inspector, who falsified paperwork allowing the illegally disposal of the hazardous waste in a landfill - thus saving J&N thousands of dollars in disposal fees at the expense of increasing risk to public health. Sentencing is pending for all parties. The ongoing investigation is being conducted jointly with EPA-CID, with assistance from the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.