Prince George's County Company Convicted and Fined $50,000 for Operating without a Permit

BALTIMORE, MD ( April 16, 2010) - Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler announced today the criminal conviction of Recycled Aggregates, LLC, a Washington, D.C. based company with a location in Temple Hills, Maryland. The company pled guilty in the District Court for Prince George’s County to three counts of failing to obtain a permit and approval for rock crushing operations. At sentencing, Judge Lawrence Hill ordered the company, as requested, to pay a $50,000 fine.

Recycled Aggregates, LLC is in the business of crushing concrete, aggregate, and rocks, with the crushed products then being sold for commercial use. In 2008, the company received a temporary construction permit to crush a large pile of debris that had accumulated at the Prince George’s County location. The permit allowed Recycled Aggregates to operate a specific crushing process using specific equipment to reduce any air pollution effects. The permit expired later in 2008 and was never renewed and the company did not apply for a new permit. When the Maryland Department of Environment conducted inspections, inspectors found that the debris pile was being crushed, without an active permit and without approved equipment. Despite advising management of the unpermitted activity and notifying the company to cease operations, the inspector found the activities on-going during subsequent inspections. As a result, the matter was referred to the Office of Attorney General for criminal prosecution.

The Environmental Crimes Unit of the Office of Attorney General conducted the investigation in conjunction with the Maryland Department of the Environment and the Maryland State Police. In making today’s announcement, Attorney General Gansler thanked Assistant Attorney General Michelle Barnes for her work on the case.