NEW JERSEY SUB-CONTRACTOR PLEADS GUILITY TO DEFRAUDING EPA

On June 25, 2009, Frederick Landgraber, a co-owner of a New Jersey landscaping company, plead guilty to his role in a fraud conspiracy at the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”)-Superfund site, Federal Creosote.

Mr. Landgraber was involved in the conspiracy from March 2002 to June 2005. Mr. Landgraber paid $30,000 to an employee prime contractor at Federal Creosote so that employee would steer contracts to Mr. Landgraber’s landscaping company. He and his co-conspirator intentionally bid increased cover bids from fictitious companies to secure the bids for their companies. His company received $1.5 million in sub-contracts at the Superfund-site.

On February 26, 2009, Christopher Tranchina, an employee of a company temporarily responsible for electrical utilities pled guilty to defrauding the EPA at that site. He is schedule for sentencing on July 13, 2009. On December 18, 2008, Zul Tejpar, a former employee at Bennett Environmental Industries pled guilty for defrauding the EPA at Federal Creosote site and agreed to pay a criminal fine of $1 million and help in the ongoing investigation. As a part of the same investigation, on July 31, 2008, Mr. Tejpar’s former employer, BEI, pled guilty and agreed to pay $1 million criminal fine for its role in a conspiracy to defraud the EPA at designated Superfund site, Federal Creosote in Manville, NJ. On June 23, 2008, JMJ Environmental Inc., a New Jersey wastewater treatment supply company, and its executives pled guilty to defraud the EPA at two New Jersey Superfund sites, including the Federal Creosote site.

Andre Barlow
(202) 589-1834
abarlow@dbmlawgroup.com