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CALIFORNIA MAN CONVICTED FOR ILLEGAL TRANSPORT OF HAZARDOUS WASTE
Release Date: 11/02/2000
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FOR RELEASE: THURSDAY, NOV. 2, 2000
CALIFORNIA MAN CONVICTED FOR ILLEGAL
TRANSPORT OF HAZARDOUS WASTE
On Oct. 23, a jury in U.S. District Court in San Diego convicted Gary Rasmussen of San Diego on two counts of illegally transporting hazardous waste in violation of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and on one count of conspiracy to violate the Act. On Feb. 28, 1998, Rasmussen illegally transported hazardous waste from Oceanside, Calif. to an unpermitted site in Chula Vista without a manifest. The wastes consisted of crystallized picric acid, tetrahydrofuran and sodium metal, all of which are reactive and potentially explosive. Rasmussen’s co-conspirator, Marvin Hutchinson, who also oversaw the loading of the container with the hazardous waste, pleaded guilty on Oct. 10 to conspiracy to violate RCRA and to the unlawful transportation of hazardous materials. Hutchinson faces up to five years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine on each count. Rasmussen faces up to five years imprisonment on both the conspiracy and the transportation count, and a maximum of two years in prison. He also faces a fine of up to $250,000 on each count. The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division, the FBI, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of the Inspector General and the San Diego County Department of Environmental Health Services. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in San Diego.
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