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PA FLORIDA MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO CFC CONSPIRACY

Release Date: 04/04/97
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PA FLORIDA MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO CFC CONSPIRACY

FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 1997

FLORIDA MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO CFC CONSPIRACY

Lewis M. Steinberg of Aventura, Fla., pleaded guilty on March 26, in U.S. District Court in Miami, Fla., to one felony count of conspiring to violate the federal Clean Air Act. Steinberg, who is the president of Stonehill Trading Inc., admitted to being involved in the diversion of the ozone-depleting chloroflurocarbon (CFC) refrigerant R-12 into U.S. commerce. The R-12 had been imported into the United States on the condition that it would be shipped to other countries. Instead, the R-12 was sold domestically in violation of U.S. import quotas and without paying federal excise taxes. The importation of CFC refrigerants is banned in the United States. Depletion of the ozone layer leads to an increase in ultraviolet radiation at the Earth's surface which can lead to increased rates of cataracts and skin cancer in humans. Steinberg faces a maximum of five years of imprisonment and/or a maximum fine of $250,000. The case was investigated by EPA's Criminal Investigation Division, the U.S. Customs Service and the Internal Revenue Service.

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