Published: July 01, 2008 01:15 am            

CITY OF LOCKPORT: MRS Plating owner sentenced

The former owner of a city business has been sentenced on federal charges he illegally disposed of hazardous chemicals on the site.

Ronald Jagielo, 47, of Lockport, who owned MRS Plating Inc., pleaded guilty in August to criminally disposing of hazardous wastes at the site between January 2004 and November 2006.

He was sentenced Monday to 21 months in jail and three years supervised release.

U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny also ordered Jagielo to pay $1 million in restitution to the Environmental Protection Agency.

This conviction was the second since 2006 for Jagielo, who was convicted of violating criminal environmental laws, and the third time since 1996 that MRS Plating Inc., a family-owned corporation, was convicted of similar charges.

The MRS Plating facility was demolished by the EPA in May, and the cleanup effort is ongoing.

The site had been contaminated by laboratory chemicals including cadmium, chromium and corrosive liquids.

The cleanup process started in November 2006, when officials found some releases of the chemicals outside the building. Puddles containing acids and rinse water from the site had formed on adjacent sidewalks and in the parking lot of a furniture store next door.

The EPA removed more than 97 drums of plating sludge, laboratory chemicals, waste oil and acids from the site, along with 11,000 gallons of acid waste and 80 cubic yards of metals and contaminated debris, which was shipped off-site for disposal.

Jagielo’s conviction was the culmination of an investigation by the EPA, in cooperation with the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

Wiliam Lometti, special agent-in-charge for the EPA Criminal Investigation Division’s New York area office, said Jagielo’s conviction is an important one.

“Today’s sentence sends a very clear message — if you break the law and harm the environment, you will pay a heavy price,” Lometti said.

Contact reporter April Amadon at 439-9222, ext. 6251.

        

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