  
1/28/2026
WT Staff
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Wednesday, January 28, 2025 1238 pm EST
CWA CrimeBox
Environmental Crimes Historic Conviction: Fiscal Year 2013; Case ID# CR_2433 (Ohio)
False statements cover illegal discharges from an Ohio auto parts plant. $1.7 million in fines later, three managers were sentenced to prison and/or home confinement, community service and probation
One of 867 Criminal Prosecutions under the Clean Water Act (from 1989-2024)
The Principal Defendant (PD) in this case is an automotive parts supplier for Honda of America Manufacturing. According to the PD's LinkedIn profile, "The primary parts produced at (the Cardington, Ohio facility) are Torque Converters, Catalytic Converters and Exhaust Systems. (PD) also produces many other types of parts for the automotive market. Three managers were also charged for their roles in violating the Clean Water Act (CWA). The case was heard in Federal Court in Ohio, Southern District.
Charges were laid, a bill of information presented to the court in late 2011, concerning the PD and co-defendants' involvement in CWA crimes. Court learned that untreated leak test fluids and parts wash fluids had been discharged from the parts factory to the Village of Cardington's publicly owned treatment facility, in excess of levels allowed in the discharge permit. Notwithstanding the environmental damage caused by untreated industrial wastewater, municipal sanitary sewer systems are generally not equipped to handle effluent outside a range of neutral pH. Discharges with low pH (acidic) or higher pH (alkaline), can damage sewer mains, filtration equipment and pumps, resulting in costly replacement or repairs. Depending on the industry, the untreated process water can contain heavy metals and flammable materials, endangering the safety of municipal workers.
Court learned three plant managers participated in covering up the factory's illegal discharges by making false statements to State authorities. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, (OEPA) is the State department tasked with monitoring and enforcing federal environmental laws in Ohio. The co-defendants plead guilty to felony charges, knowing and negligent violations of the CWA, along with four counts of false statements. The last of the co-defendants was sentenced in March 2013.
The auto parts company was sentenced to a hefty federal fine, USD $1.2 million and two years supervision by way of probation. Restitution was ordered payable to the Village of Cardington, along with a community service payment, $515,000 to compensate for damages done to the sanitary sewer system. Conditions attached to probation required the company to install a wastewater sampling/monitoring station for the exclusive access and use by the Village of Cardington and OEPA. The PD was required to pay the cost of lab analysis of the samples drawn by the Village and state environmental authority. The PD was further sentenced to hire a qualified environmental manager, with environmental audits of the facility submitted to authorities, along with a special assessment fee.
The co-defendants were sentenced according to their individual criminal contributions and responsibility for the corporation's illegal discharges. The first manager co-defendant received a $5,000 fine, 2 years probation, including 90 days locked up at home. The first co-defendant was further required to perform 500 hours of community service. The second manager to the bench was sentenced to prison for three months, followed by one year of supervision, a fine of $25,000 and 208 hours of community service. The third co-defendant got a $500 fine, 30 days home confinement and a year of probation.
Prison term: 90 days; Home confinement: 120 days; Federal Fines: $1,230,500; Restitution: $115,000; Community Service Payments: $400,000; Community Service Performed: 708 hours; Special Assessment: $1,600; Total Probation: 72 months
See last week's CWA CrimeBox here, Decades of CWA violations caused severe damage to the Gulf coast environment. Convicted fertilizer company bankrupt, sentenced to transfer land holdings to NOAA Research Reserve, here.
CWA CrimeBox briefs are compiled from EPA Criminal Enforcement records.
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