  
2/25/2026
WT Staff
 Got water questions? Have knowledge of a CWA crime? Give us a call at 877-52-WATER (877-529-2837), or email us at info@wtoh.us
Wednesday, February 25, 2026 1157 am EST
CWA CrimeBox
Environmental Crimes Historic Conviction: Fiscal Year 2013; Case ID# CR_2493 (Ohio)
Liquid cyanide kills fish for three miles in a tributary of the Lake Erie drainage basin, business owner's wife convicted of conspiracy
One of 867 Criminal Prosecutions under the Clean Water Act (from 1989-2024)
Lake Erie is the main source of drinking water for over 12 million people in the USA and Canada. The shallowest of the transboundary Great Lakes is home to more than one hundred species of fish and thousands of species of migratory birds and butterflies. The lake generates over 12 billion annually from recreational visitors, the vital eco-system supporting some of the most fertile agricultural land on the continent.
The Principal Defendant in this case is a former Ohio coin mint - metal plating company, with the co-defendant, the business owner's wife. The metal plating business was located in Strongsville, a map showing the operation permanently closed as of the writing of this article. At the time of the offense in 2012, the Defendant was located just south of Progress Drive, off Interstate 42, 20 miles southwest of Cleveland.
The Strongsville stormwater drainage system collects runoff from streets and paved surfaces, discharging via outfalls into the East Branch of the Rocky River. The tributary empties into Lake Erie, primary drinking water supply for the City of Cleveland's 360,000 residents.
In 2013, the Principal Defendant was charged with knowing violation of the Clean Water Act (CWA) and conspiracy, felony charges investigated by US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Criminal Investigation Division. The co-defendant was charged with conspiracy and obstruction for her role in discharging highly toxic material to waters of the USA.
Federal District Court in North Ohio was presented with a bill of information indicating that in April 2012, the co-defendant directed an employee of the coin mint to load two barrels into a solid waste disposal unit outside the facility. The contracted solid waste hauler attended the facility the following day. Taking notice of a "skull and cross bones" poison warning label on one of the drums, the waste hauler declined to accept the contents of the dumpster, leaving both drums and all the rest of the contents untouched.
The next day, April 18, the co-defendant had the drums moved from the dumpster, placing them next to a storm drain in the parking lot. The co-defendant then used a sharp metal punch tool and hammer to puncture a hole in the bottom of the drums, allowing the contents to run down the storm drain. Liquid cyanide spread through the East Branch Rocky River, killing nearly every fish for three miles downstream. Four days later, Ohio Department of Natural Resources counted "approximately 30,893 dead fish in that three-mile stretch of the river, due to the discharge of cyanide."
The Principal Defendant plead guilty to a single charge, knowing violation of the CWA. The judge applied a sentence of two years probation, a restitution payment to Ohio Division of Wildlife $1 per fish killed, and a community service payment of $300,000 to Cleveland Metroparks. The co-Defendant was convicted on the conspiracy charge. She was sentenced to a $5,000 federal fine and a year of probation.
Federal Fines: $5,000; Restitution: $30,893; Community Service Payment: $300,000 Probation: 36 months
See last week's CWA CrimeBox here, Monday to Friday compliance does not excuse CWA violations on the weekends. A Cleveland metal plater deliberately bypassed wastewater pre-treatment for months, contaminating drinking water source for millions
CWA CrimeBox briefs are compiled from EPA Criminal Enforcement records.
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