Two Rankin County men indicted for dumping waste into Jackson sewer system
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - U.S. Attorney Darren LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Charles Carfagno with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Criminal Investigation Division’s Southeast Area Branch announced on Thursday that two Rankin County men appeared in federal court on felony charges of illegally discharging industrial waste into the Jackson Sewer System, conspiracy, and making false statements.
Gold Coast released this statement through its public relations firm following the ruling on Douglas:
“In Gold Coast’s 38 years of operation, we have always taken pride in our reputation as good stewards of the community and the environment. Although this charge is only a misdemeanor, we take all such charges very seriously.
Gold Coast hired Rebel High Velocity Sewer Services to legally dispose of the company’s wastewater. That business has been registered with the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office for 48 years, has an A+ BBB rating, and has met all industry standards to handle this business. To our knowledge, every vendor Gold Coast hires follows their own stated process, and there was no reason to believe that Rebel High Velocity was improperly disposing of wastewater after leaving our facility. Thankfully, there was no environmental impact, no damage to infrastructure, and no person harmed from the unlawful actions of Rebel High Velocity.
It is important to point out that negligence in this case means Gold Coast hired a vendor to properly dispose of wastewater, and that vendor did not do the job they were hired to do.
At the end of the day, we hired an expert to protect the environment and surrounding communities. The mistake made here was to fully trust that Rebel High Velocity followed their stated process and lawfully did the job they were hired to do.”
A nine-count federal indictment was unsealed in Jackson on September 2, 2022, charging Thomas W. Douglas, Jr., 61, and John S. Welch, Sr., 64, with carrying out a scheme whereby industrial waste from their company, Gulf Coast Commodities, was discharged illegally into the Jackson sewer system.
The defendants made their initial court appearances on Thursday at the Thad Cochran U.S. Courthouse in Jackson.
The case is set for trial on November 7, 2022, in U.S. District Court in Jackson.
According to the press release, if convicted, each defendant faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison on Count 1 of the indictment, three years in prison on each of Counts 2-6 of the indictment, and five years in prison on each of Counts 7-8 as to Douglas and Count 9 as to Welch.
The Environmental Protection Agency is investigating the case.
Attorney Jeremy Korzenik with the Department of Justice Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Clay B. Baldwin are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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