North Georgia man sentenced for dumping hazardous waste

WSB Cox articles
·2 min read
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A North Georgia man was sentenced to prison for dumping hazardous waste without a permit.

Amin Ali, 56, of Dalton, has been sentenced after dumping hundreds of drums in a chicken house in North Georgia.

“Ali abused the North Georgia environment by illegally dumping hundreds of drums of waste,” U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan said. “The environmental laws are designed to keep Georgia’s natural beauty available and safe for future generations, and this office will work to enforce those laws.”

Ali was convicted on June 22, 2022, after he pleaded guilty to the charges.

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“This sentence serves as a reminder that if you choose to undermine environmental regulations by illegally dumping hazardous waste, you will be held accountable for your crimes,” said Special Agent in Charge Chuck Carfagno, of EPA CID Southeast Area Branch. “EPA and its state partners worked together to address the environmental problems and bring the defendant to justice.”

“Such blatant violations of our environmental laws pose serious risk to the surrounding community and to the natural resources of the State of Georgia and must be redressed,” said Sara Lips, director of communications and community engagement, Georgia DNR Environmental Protection Division.

The defendant, Amin Ali, owned property in Rock Springs, Georgia, a warehouse formerly owned by a chemical company and a farming property containing several old chicken houses.

In August 2021, Ali was found in possession of more than 100 drums and other containers of chemicals, including many containing hazardous waste, that were moved from the Goldstar property to the Rock Springs property. The drums were discarded in one of the old chicken houses, with some of the drums left in an open trench to be buried. Some of the contents of the drums spilled and leaked into the surrounding soil.

Further testing of the drums and soil revealed the presence of benzene, lead, and chromium. In addition, the contents of the drums were reactive and ignitable.

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Several different agencies responded to the scene to investigate.

Ultimately, the cost of the clean-up exceeded $500,000, according to the release.

Ali was sentenced to two months in prison, followed by one year of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay a $25,000 fine and make restitution in the amount of $32,596.93.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Criminal Investigation Division and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division’s Law Enforcement Unit.

For more information, contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.

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