Nevada Businessman Receives Prison Sentence for Clean Water Act Violations
LAS VEGAS – A Nevada executive faces a prison term following his involvement in an illegal waste disposal operation that breached federal environmental regulations.
Matthew Thurman, who served as the general manager at Environmental Resources Inc., operating under the name Easy Rooter Plumbing (ERP), has been sentenced to two years in federal prison. In addition, he must pay a hefty $680,000 fine and undergo one year of supervised release for deliberately flouting pretreatment standards laid out by the Clean Water Act. The company ERP faces its own penalties, including three years of probation and a $680,000 fine.
For an extended period, ERP and Thurman masterminded unauthorized discharges of grease and wastewater from food-service operations into the municipal systems in Reno and Sparks, Nevada. Despite receiving warnings from local authorities, the illegal activities persisted, prompting an investigation by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). During the probe, Thurman misled federal officials, accusing competitors of the infractions. His actions, along with those of ERP, compromised the wastewater treatment infrastructure, posing environmental hazards and increasing maintenance expenditures that ultimately impacted consumers.
“This case underscores the importance of holding individuals and corporations accountable when they knowingly harm our environment and attempt to obstruct justice,” remarked Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “Violations of the Clean Water Act are serious crimes, and today’s sentencing sends a clear message that such conduct will not be tolerated.”
Assistant Administrator David M. Uhlmann from the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance stated, “The defendant defrauded clients, exposed Nevada communities to contaminated sewage, and engaged in conduct that required taxpayer dollars to be spent on costly repairs. Today’s significant sentencing demonstrates that EPA will continue to bring to justice environmental criminals.”
U.S. Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada noted the critical role of clean water systems, emphasizing the gravity of the defendants’ actions: “By knowingly illegally dumping waste into the treatment system, the defendants jeopardized the quality of life of our citizens in violation of the Clean Water Act. We will continue to prosecute these crimes and hold the violators responsible.”
This case highlights the cooperation among various local, state, and federal bodies dedicated to safeguarding the nation’s water systems.
The EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division spearheaded the inquiry, collaborating with the City of Reno’s Utility Services Department-Environmental Control and the City of Sparks’ Environmental Control Section.
Prosecutors included Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew D. Evans for the District of Minnesota, previously with the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crimes Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Keenan for the District of Nevada.
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