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EPA CRIMINAL ENFORCEMENT

LAWS WE ENFORCE
 

EPA’s criminal enforcement program investigates crimes under environmental statutes and Title 18 of the United 

States Code. Title 18 is the Federal Criminal Code for offenses such as fraud, conspiracy, and obstruction of 

justice, which are often committed in association with the commission of environmental crimes. Environmental 

statutes include the: Clean Air Act; Clean Water Act; Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation 

and Liability Act (Superfund); Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act; Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act; Oil Pollution Act; Ocean Dumping Act; Resource Conservation and Recovery Act 

(hazardous waste); Safe Drinking Water Act; and Toxic Substances Control Act. Other EPA offices are responsible for civil enforcement actions, issuing regulations and permits, monitoring regulated businesses, conducting research and implementing other statutory requirements. 
EPA CRIMINAL ENFORCEMENT

AMERICA’S 

ENVIRONMENTAL 

CRIME FIGHTERS 

EPA Criminal Enforcement 

WHO WE ARE 

We are the Nation’s environmental police, providing investigative, 

scientific and technical expertise to support environmental crimes 

prosecutions at the Federal, State, Tribal and local levels. We protect 

human health and the environment by developing criminal cases against 

individuals and corporations that violate environmental and associated 

laws. Successful prosecutions deter other potential violators, eliminate 

the temptation for companies to “pay to pollute,” and help ensure that 

businesses that follow the rules don’t face unfair competition from those 

that break the rules. 

We are a team of 350 professionals, including 200 EPA 

special agents in more than 40 offices nationwide who 

work closely with scientists, attorneys, and others to 

uncover and investigate environmental crimes. EPA 

special agents are Federal law enforcement officers 

with the full authority to conduct investigations, carry 

firearms, make arrests for any Federal crime, and to 

execute search and arrest warrants. Our specialized 

laboratories employ scientists, engineers, analysts, 

technicians, and environmental and computer specialists 

to perform the essential science for environmental investigations. 

Attorneys specializing in environmental crimes prosecutions advise on 

environmental regulations, enforcement-related legislation, and other 

complex legal issues that arise during day-to-day operations of a national 

law enforcement program. 
EPA CRIMINAL ENFORCEMENT

WHERE WE ARE
 

EPA CRIMINAL ENFORCEMENT OFFICES 

Different colors represent EPA Regions 

Boston, New Haven, New York, Syracuse, Edison, Puerto Rico, Philadelphia, Arlington, Baltimore, Charleston, WV, 

Atlanta, Nashville, Louisville, Charlotte, Knoxville, Gulf Breeze, Miami, Tampa, Chicago, Minneapolis, Indianapolis, 

Cleveland, Detroit, Dallas, Baton Rouge, Houston, Kansas City, St. Louis, Denver, Helena, Salt Lake City, San 

Francisco, Sacramento, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Diego, Seattle, Anchorage, Portland, Boise, Washington 

DC headquarters, Lakewood, CO National Enforcement Investigations Center and the Jacksonville, FL National 

Computer Forensics Laboratory. 

The EPA criminal enforcement program is part of EPA’s Office of Enforcement and 

Compliance Assurance (OECA). It is headquartered in Washington, DC, with field 

investigative offices in EPA’s 10 regional offices and in more than 30 other locations 

across the country. The National Enforcement Investigations Center (NEIC), in 

Lakewood, Colorado, provides forensics, science and technical support for both 

criminal and civil environmental investigations. The National Computer Forensics 

Laboratory in Jacksonville, Florida, specializes in the seizure, review and analysis of 

electronic evidence and advanced undercover surveillance operations. 
EPA CRIMINAL ENFORCEMENT

WHAT ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME IS
 

Almost all environmental laws specify that when an individual or corporation 

knowingly or negligently violates that law, it is a crime. Corporations may be liable to 

fines and other penalties and individuals (including corporate officers) can face prison 

time as well. Environmental crimes can include a wide range of illegal activities that 

contaminate the air, land and water and threaten people’s health. 

WHAT WE DO 

We investigate environmental crimes using specialized investigative and forensic 

techniques. We focus on cases that clearly merit criminal investigation, while 

referring the majority of the leads for civil or administrative review by EPA or a 

state environmental agency. About 80% of convicted defendants are individuals; the 

remaining 20% are corporate entities. Criminal enforcement’s threat of incarceration 

is important in deterring violators. 

Special agents evaluate leads; interview witnesses and suspects; review documents and 

data from environmental, inspection, and other databases and files; and determine 

what additional expertise is needed to prove the crime in court. Although we 
EPA CRIMINAL ENFORCEMENT

investigate violations of many environmental laws, most cases stem from three 

statutes: the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, and the Resource Conservation and 

Recovery Act (hazardous waste). Most cases also involve associated Federal Criminal 

Code violations, such as fraud, conspiracy, and obstruction of justice. 

Environmental criminal enforcement requires state-of-the-art scientific and 

technical capabilities to analyze evidence with a high degree of scientific certainty 

so that evidence can be used in court to prove that a defendant is “guilty beyond a 

reasonable doubt.” Our fully-accredited forensics laboratory supports both criminal 

and civil investigations with multi-disciplinary teams of experts who conduct 

field investigations to gather site-specific evidence about potential violations. The 

forensics staff work with special agents to provide field sampling, engineering 

evaluations, forensic laboratory analysis, and expert witness services in the 

courtroom. A skilled team of computer and technology experts extract and analyze 

evidence found on suspects’ computers, cell phones, and other devices. 

Experienced EPA attorneys in Washington DC and Regional Criminal 

Enforcement Counsels use their environmental law expertise in all aspects of 

criminal enforcement. For example, attorneys provide guidance on expert witness 

preparation, evidentiary issues, the interrelationship of environmental and criminal 

laws, personnel and worker safety law, and the enforceability of proposed regulations 

and legislation. 
EPA CRIMINAL ENFORCEMENT

WHO WE WORK WITH
 

We work closely with the U. S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and state agencies that 

prosecute environmental crimes, Federal, State and tribal law enforcement agencies 

and with other EPA programs. We work primarily with DOJ’s Environmental Crimes 

Section and the 93 United States Attorneys to build strong cases for prosecution and 

occasionally with State and Tribal prosecutors. During investigations, we frequently 

combine our expertise with that of other law enforcement groups (such as the 

Department of Interior’s Fish and Wildlife Service or the Department of Agriculture’s 

Forest Service) to investigate cases with possible violations of a wide variety of laws. 

Criminal enforcement also relies on scientists, regulators, permit writers and other 

experts working in sister EPA offices such as the air, water and hazardous waste 

programs, and civil enforcement. 

HOW TO GET INVOLVED 

• Report potential crimes at www.epa.gov/tips 

• Report a fugitive sighting at www.epa.gov/fugitives 

• Find out about EPA careers - www.epa.gov/careers
 

(Apply for all Federal jobs at www.usajobs.gov) or 


• Call your local government office (which are generally responsible for trash, 

recycling pickup, and household chemical disposal (e.g., paints, pesticides, oil, 

antifreeze, etc.) ) 

Look for the 7 signs of environmental crimes, including: 

• Strong, offensive, or unusual chemical odors 

• Large numbers of dead birds, fish or other animals 

• Pipes or valves that bypass waste treatment systems 

• Tank trucks discharging into drains, manholes or surface waters 

• Oily slicks on bodies of water 

• Corroded, leaking waste containers 

• Drums or other containers dumped at odd hours in out-of-the-way places 

Citizens’ reports have helped protect human health and the environment and catch 

fugitives. Since the tips website launched in January 2006, EPA has received more 

than 30,000 tips and referred more than 22,000 for further investigation, including 

tips shared with state or local authorities. 
EPA CRIMINAL ENFORCEMENT

SIGNIFICANT CRIMINAL CASES • SIGNIFICANT CRIMINAL CASES • SIGNIFICANT CRIMINAL CASES 

Idaho man sentenced to 17 years in federal prison for environmental crimes that 


left a 20 year-old employee permanently brain damaged 


On a hot August morning, 20 year-old Scott Dominguez reported to work at Evergreen Resources, a small fertilizer manufacturing plant in his hometown, Soda Springs, Idaho. “I’m afraid to go to work,” Dominguez said 

to his girlfriend before he left on that day that would change his life forever. The owner of the company, Allan 

Elias wanted his workers to clean out a 25,000-gallon tank that contained cyanide waste. He refused to test 

the air or the waste inside the tank. He ignored the pleas of his workers for safety equipment. When the workers complained of sore throats and difficulty breathing, Mr. Elias told them to finish the job or find work somewhere else. Mr. Dominguez, a high school graduate, wanted to keep his job. Wearing just jeans and a T-shirt, 

he used a ladder to descend into the tank. Two hours later, covered in sludge and barely breathing, he was 

removed from the tank by paramedics and rushed to the hospital, a victim of cyanide poisoning. Later in the day Elias went to 

visit Dominguez in the local hospital, where the doctor asked 

him if they might be looking at a case of cyanide poisoning. 

Elias told the doctors there was nothing but mud and water in 

that tank. The next day, Elias went back to his office fabricating 

and backdating all employee safety plans. He proceeded to 

white out each and every mention of cyanide. Mr. Dominguez 

suffered severe and permanent brain damage. He now has the 

rigid body movement and stammering speech found in patients 

with advanced Parkinson’s disease. As a result of EPA CID’s 

criminal investigation, a jury convicted Elias of three felonies 

for violating the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and for illegally disposing of deadly 

cyanide waste. Elias was also convicted of making a false statement by fabricating and backdating a safety 

plan for entering the storage tank containing cyanide. Elias was sentenced to serve 17 years in prison for his 

crimes and ordered to pay $6 million in restitution to the victim and his family. 
EPA CRIMINAL ENFORCEMENT

SIGNIFICANT CRIMINAL CASES • SIGNIFICANT CRIMINAL CASES • SIGNIFICANT CRIMINAL CASES 

Chief Executive and company owner jailed for smuggling ozone-depleting substances 

Kroy Corporation, Miami, Florida, and James Garrido, its 

chief executive, were sentenced for illegally smuggling into 

the United States HCFC-22, an illegal ozone-depleting refrigerant. James Garrido received a sentence of 30 months 

incarceration. Additionally, Garrido and the company were 

assessed a fine of $40,000 and forfeited $1.35 million to the 

United States government. This case was part of a multiagency initiative known as “Operation Catch-22” aimed at 

stopping the smuggling and distribution of illegal ozone-depleting substances in the United States. 

“Sham” recycler sentenced to more than 3 years incarceration for illegally burying 

hazardous waste that contaminated soil and groundwater 

Dennie Pridemore, the former company president 

and manager of Hydromex, Yazoo City, Mississippi, 

was sentenced to 41 months in prison for illegally 

storing and disposing of hazardous waste contaminated with the heavy metals cadmium and chromium. 

From 2000 through 2003, Pridemore portrayed his 

company as a recycling operation, thereby exempting the waste he received from regulation under the 

Federal hazardous waste laws. In reality, rather than 

recycle the hazardous wastes, Hydromex buried it in 

the ground, polluting the soil and groundwater. 
EPA CRIMINAL ENFORCEMENT

SIGNIFICANT CRIMINAL CASES • SIGNIFICANT CRIMINAL CASES • SIGNIFICANT CRIMINAL CASES 

British Petroleum (BP) guilty of environmental crime resulting in a fatal refinery 


explosion in Texas
 

BP Products North America, Inc. paid a $50 million criminal fine after pleading guilty to a Clean 

Air Act felony violation. This violation was a result of illegal company conduct that precipitated 

a fatal explosion on March 23, 2005, at its Texas 

City refinery, which killed 15 workers and injured 

more than 170 others. This was the first criminal 

prosecution under a section of the Clean Air Act 

specifically designed to prevent accidental releases that result in death or serious injury. 

Real estate developer sentenced to 9 years incarceration and company fined more 

than $5 million for destruction and contamination of wetlands and defrauding 

home buyers 

Robert Lucas, a real estate developer in southern Mississippi, and two other defendants committed Clean Water 

Act crimes when they filled hundreds of acres of wetlands to develop home sites. They installed septic systems 

in saturated soil, which resulted in a public health 

threat, and then fraudulently told prospective buyers 

that the property was habitable. Robert Lucas was 

sentenced to 9 years in prison; the other defendants 

were sentenced to over 7-year prison sentences. 

The defendants had to pay $1.4 million in mitigation costs, and their companies were fined a total of 

$5.3 million. 
EPA CRIMINAL ENFORCEMENT

SNAPSHOT OF EPA CRIMINAL ENFORCEMENT 

Mission 

EPA’s criminal enforcement program investigates the most egregious environmental crimes committed by individual and 

corporate defendants by providing: 

• Federal, state and local prosecutors with the evidence needed to prosecute environmental crimes 

• Environmental forensic analyses and technical evaluations for both civil and criminal enforcement 

• Computer evidence retrieval and evaluation 

• Expert legal advice and counsel to the criminal enforcement program and other offices within EPA 

We strive to make a difference where people live and work through three overall Office of Enforcement and Compliance 

Assurance goals: (1) Aggressively going after pollution problems that matter to communities, (2) Building partnerships 

with States, Tribes, and localities, and (3) Improving public information and transparency. 

People 

More than 350 specially trained investigators, chemists, engineers, technicians, lawyers, and support staff help investigate environmental crimes, including: 

• 200 fully authorized Federal law enforcement agents 

• 70 forensic scientists and technicians 

• 45 attorneys who specialize in environmental crimes prosecutions 

Locations 

Criminal enforcement personnel serve in more than 40 locations nation-wide. The program headquarters is located 

in Washington, DC, with a criminal enforcement area office co-located in each of EPA’s 10 regional offices. Additional 

offices include: 

• 30 resident offices in strategic locations across the country 

• The National Enforcement Investigations Center (forensics laboratory) in Lakewood, Colorado 

• The National Computer Forensic Laboratory in Jacksonville, Florida 

• Training office at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia 

Accomplishments 

Of the 700 - 800 investigations open at any one time: 

• 67% of our cases where search warrants are executed result in criminal charges being filed 

• 80% of defendants charged are individuals while 20% are corporations 

• More than 90% of charged defendants are convicted of the crimes alleged 
Get Involved 

Report potential violations at Report a fugitive sighting at 

www.epa.gov/tips www.epa.gov/fugitives 

Get More Information 

• EPA’s criminal enforcement program – www.epa.gov/enforcement/criminal 

• EPA laws and regulations – www.epa.gov/lawsregs/laws/index.html 

• Civil Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO) with information about approximately 800,000 EPA-regulated 

facilities. http://www.epa-echo.gov/echo 

• EPA careers - www.epa.gov/careers (Apply for all Federal jobs - www.usajobs.gov) 

Contact by Phone or by Mail 

Office of Criminal Enforcement 

1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Mail Code 2231A 

Washington, DC 20004 

Phone: 202-564-2480, Fax: 202-501-0599