All News Releases By Date

Owner of Air Conditioning Company Sentenced for Air Violations

Release Date: 10/28/1998
Contact Information: David Sternberg (215) 814-5548

BALTIMORE - William Harper, owner and operator of Ike’s Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. of Hagerstown, Md., was sentenced on October 20, 1998 for a criminal violation of federal  regulations on the repair of equipment containing ozone-destroying chloroflourocarbons (CFCs).  U.S. District Court Judge Frederick Motz sentenced Mr. Harper to four months imprisonment, four months home confinement, two years probation and a $100 mandatory charge.

The details of the prosecution are described in the attached press release from the U.S. Attorneys Office in Baltimore.

Scientists worldwide believe that CFCs contribute to the destruction of the earth’s stratospheric ozone layer, which protects the planet from harmful ultraviolet radiation.  Ozone loss in the atmosphere is likely to lead to an increase in skin cancer in humans and damage to plant and animal life.

The case was investigated by the Environmental Protection Agency, Criminal Investigation Division, Annapolis, Maryland, and was prosecuted for the government by Assistant United States Attorney P. Michael Cunningham.  Legal assistance was provided by EPA Region III’s Regional Criminal Enforcement Counsel. 

For more information on CFCs and stratospheric ozone, please call the Stratospheric Ozone Information Hotline, 1-800-296-1996, or visit www.epa.gov/ozone.

#


99-40