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LOUISIANA JOHNSON PROPERTIES COMPANY PRESIDENT, TWO EMPLOYEES PLEAD GUILTY IN WATER CASE
Release Date: 02/10/2000
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FOR RELEASE: THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2000
LOUISIANA JOHNSON PROPERTIES COMPANY PRESIDENT,
TWO EMPLOYEES PLEAD GUILTY IN WATER CASE
TWO EMPLOYEES PLEAD GUILTY IN WATER CASE
Three employees of Johnson Properties Inc., which manages wastewater treatment facilities in Central Louisiana, pleaded guilty on Feb. 4, in U.S. District Court in New Orleans, La. General Manager Glenn K. Johnson admitted to conspiring to violate the Clean Water Act (CWA) and to obstruction of justice for bribery and submitting false discharge monitoring reports. As part of his plea agreement, Johnson will spend three years in federal prison and will pay $500,000 in fines plus $250,000 restitution to homeowners who were serviced by wastewater treatment plants operated by Johnson Utilities. President Montell Watkins pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate the CWA and faces up to five years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine. Water Laboratory Director Carol Rowell admitted to negligently violating the CWA by submitting reports to regulators without checking their accuracy; she faces up to one year in prison and/or a fine of $100,000. From 1991-1998, Johnson and Watkins failed to properly maintain wastewater treatment facilities and diverted customers’ fees for their own personal use. Failing to maintain wastewater treatment plants and improper wastewater treatment discharge monitoring can lead to the release of harmful levels of E. Coli bacteria and other microscopic organisms which can produce intestinal illness in humans and harm aquatic organisms and wildlife. The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General, the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Department of Justice Environmental Crimes section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
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