Oneida County Resident Sentenced For Environmental Crimes

Attorney General Spitzer today announced that an Oneida County businessman who illegally disposed of oil in the Mohawk River and Erie Barge Canal was sentenced in Oneida County Court to 90 days home imprisonment with an electronic monitoring device.

In December 2002, following a non-jury trial before Acting County Court Judge Patrick L. Kirk, Donald F. Beebe, 48, of Rome, was convicted of Endangering Public Health Safety and the Environment in the Second Degree, a class "D" felony, and Unlawful Discharge into the Waters of the State, a class "E" felony.

"Our environment is one of our most precious resources," said Attorney General Spitzer. "My office will work with the state Department of Environmental Conservation to enforce our environmental laws against those who break them for economic convenience."

In addition to the sentence of home imprisonment, Acting County Court Judge Patrick L. Kirk also ordered Beebe to pay $10,000 in fines and an additional $3,634.05 in restitution to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

Beebe was the manager of American Metal Stamping and Spinning (AMSS), a Rome-based company that formerly manufactured metal containers for military meals. The case has its origin in September of 2001 when AMSS contracted with Op-Tech Environmental Services, Inc. of Syracuse. The company was hired to remove fuel oil and wastewater from two 30,000-gallon underground tanks located on the 13-acre AMSS site in Rome.

Rather than disposing of the oil and wastewater as recommended by Op-Tech, Beebe simply discharged the waste water and oil into a storm drain which leads to the Mohawk River Barge Canal. In addition, testimony during the trial indicated that Beebe attempted to conceal his acts by developing an illegal wastewater collection system on AMSS' property. He also instructed his employees to deny any knowledge of inappropriate discharge of oil to Department of Environmental Conservation investigators.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Gary Simpson with the assistance of Assistant Attorney General Richard Ernst of the Attorney General's Criminal Prosecutions Bureau. The investigation was also handled by conservation police and investigators from the state Department of Environmental Conservation.