Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane announced Tuesday charges have been filed against a New Jersey man and three New Jersey businesses, accused of dumping contaminated soil at two locations in Northampton County.

Kane said that Arthur Fletcher, of Bayonne, New Jersey, disposed of soil from the excavation of a former gas station in the Bronx, NY, by illegally dumping it at two locations in the Poconos – Wind Gap and Bangor Borough.

According to the criminal complaint, Fletcher convinced two landowners that he was going to buy the properties, fill them in with clean fill, install landscaping and solar panels, and operate a recycled soil business.

Fletcher signed agreements of sale for both properties but never made any payments, according to investigators. Fletcher, without the permission of the owners, allegedly brought the fill to these sites and dumped the contaminated soil.

Officials from the Department of Environmental Protection warned Fletcher several times that he was not allowed to dump anything in Pennsylvania without a permit, according to investigators. However, trucks from Ike's Enterprises, LLC, Cuenca Coronel Trucking Inc., and J&J Brothers Trucking allegedly continued to dump illegally.

The property where Fletcher and the trucking companies dumped in Bangor Borough is owned by the Bangor Borough Municipal Authority. Officials say it eventually cost $50,000 to clean up the contaminated soil, a process known as remediation.

Kane thanked the DEP for their assistance with the investigation.

A summary of the charges is available online.

NewsClip: NJ Businessman Charged With Dumping

5/6/2013