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BALTIMORE, Maryland (WBAL) -- *UPDATE* (Dec. 18)
The Hanover man who pleaded guilty in the illegal tire dumping case in Allegany County was sentenced and ordered to pay $250,000 in restitution. A fine of $300,000 to the Maryland Clean Water Fund was suspended.
Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown announced today that Judge Jeffrey Getty of Allegany County sentenced Michel Osei to five years, suspending all but 45 days, five years of probation. He was ordered to pay restitution to the Allegany County Commissioners and the fine to the Maryland Clean Water Fund.
Original story below:
A man from Hanover has pleaded guilty to multiple environmental crimes after dumping over 250,000 tires in Allegany County.
According to Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown, 48-year-old Michael Osei of Hanover pleaded guilty to 17 environmental charges, including unlawful disposal for gain, operating a scrap tire facility without a license, and improper handling of waste-nuisance.
A joint investigation by the Environmental and Natural Resources Crimes Unit (ENRCU), the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), and the Maryland Office of the State Fire Marshal was conducted back in 2021.
It showed that in 2021 Osei approached the Allegany County Office of Economic Development about starting a scrap tire recycling facility. He was offered a favorable land-lease deal for an industrial property located at 23302 Westernport Road, and on July 21, 2021, operations began at the facility. Osei and his employees would collect around 100,000 tires initially at the site from various locations in West Virginia.
Inspectors with the MDE first became aware of the site in October 2021 and found that the property had no permits, and the tires were stored outside and uncovered, creating a significant fire hazard. The Maryland State Office of the Fire Marshal was contacted about the serious risk of fire at the location.
From the fall of 2021 to the spring of 2022, the fire marshal ordered Osei to shut down operations multiple times. The property was ultimately abandoned in 2022 with an estimated over 250,000 tires strewn across the property and inside tractor-trailer containers.
Attorney General Brown added the following statement:
"Leaving tires outside for an extended period is utterly unacceptable. It poses a serious fire hazard, threatens our air quality, and pollutes our water. Frankly, it's shocking that any company would be so reckless as to endanger the health of Marylanders in this way," Attorney General Brown said. "Convictions like this are essential to safeguarding our environment and making it crystal clear that businesses must recycle and dispose of scrap tires lawfully. We simply won’t tolerate such irresponsible behavior."
