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St. Louis Area Men Indicted and Arrested for Failure to Disclose Lead Paint
Release Date: 03/06/2003
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(03/06/03) Thomas F. Sailor of O’Fallon, Mo., and Marco Webster of St. Louis, Mo., were each indicted on Feb. 12 and were arrested Feb. 19. The charges are they both violated the Toxic Substances Control Act by failing to disclose lead-based paint to home buyers and charges they falsified lead paint disclosure forms. Exposure to chips and dust from lead-based paint can produce neurological damage and other diseases so disclosing the presence of lead-based paint to home buyers is required by federal law. The risk of exposure to lead is especially high among small children who can experience significant delays in mental development and may even die when they are exposed to lead as they crawl and play on the floor. If convicted on all counts, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of up to six years in prison and/or a potential fine of more than $250,000. Charges were filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri in St. Louis. The case was investigated by the St. Louis Area Office of EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division, the EPA Region 7 Office of Inspector General and the City of St. Louis Division of Health. It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in St. Louis. An indictment is merely an accusation and all defendants are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty in a court of law.
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