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OWNER OF CALIFORNIA METAL PLATING COMPANY INDICTED
Release Date: 06/24/99
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FOR RELEASE: THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 1999
OWNER OF CALIFORNIA METAL PLATING COMPANY INDICTED
James P. Downing, Sr., of Stockton, Calif., was indicted on June 17 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California in Sacramento for violating the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and the Clean Water Act. Downing owned and operated Advanced Metal Plating in Stockton. The defendant allegedly abandoned large containers of hazardous chemicals at the facility when it went out of business. Downing also allegedly illegally discharged zinc into the Stockton municipal sewer system and unlawfully tampered with a pH meter used to monitor the flow of acids and bases into the sewer system. Discharging non-permitted levels of zinc or substances with high or low pH into sewers can interfere with the sewage treatment process and can damage sewage treatment facilities. If convicted, Downing faces a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison and/or fines of up to $510,000. The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division, the San Joaquin District Attorney’s Office-Department of Toxic Substance Control, and is being prosecuted by the U.S. Department of Justice.
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