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FLORIDA MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO CFC SMUGGLING

Release Date: 08/10/2000
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FOR RELEASE: THURSDAY, AUGUST 10, 2000

FLORIDA MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO CFC SMUGGLING

Burt A. Ammons, of Stuart, Fla., pleaded guilty on Aug. 1, in the U.S. District Court in Miami, Fla., for attempting to unlawfully import the refrigerant CFC-12 into the United States in violation of the Clean Air Act. On May 4, Ammons and co-defendant Hugh A. Robinson attempted to smuggle approximately ninety 30-pound cylinders of CFC-12 into the United States in false compartments aboard the motor vessel Sierra. The illegal cargo was discovered when the boat was stopped and inspected by the city of Fort Lauderdale Marine Patrol Unit for running without navigation lights. The CFC-12 was to be unlawfully sold to local auto repair shops in the Palm Beach and St. Lucie County areas. The importation of CFC-12 is highly restricted, because when it is released into the environment, CFC-12 damages the earth’s ozone layer which protects people from ultraviolet radiation that can cause skin cancer and cataracts. When sentenced, Ammons and Robinson, who previously pleaded guilty, each faces up to five years in prison and/or a fine up to $250,000. The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division and the U.S. Customs Service, and is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Fla., in Miami.

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