Mahopac Man Pleads Guilty To Operating Illegal Landfill At Westchester County Public School

NEW YORK, NY (February 15, 2007)—Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today announced the conviction of a Mahopac man who illegally operated a construction and demolition debris landfill on the grounds of the Eastchester High School and Middle School.

On January 24, 2007, defendant Anthony Adinolfi, 46, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor crime under the Environmental Conservation Law before Westchester County Court Judge Richard A. Molea.  Mr. Adinolfi was the president and sole shareholder of Dirt Man Enterprises, Inc., which has since dissolved.  Dirt Man Enterprises engaged in the transfer of clean dirt and fill from a site where it was excavated to a location where it was needed.  In October 2002, he entered into an agreement with the Eastchester Union Free School District to enlarge an athletic field by depositing dirt and rock under the field.  Rather than bringing dirt, however, he arranged for others to dump construction and demolition debris at the site.  Mr. Adinolfi, who was operating the landfill without the necessary permit from the DEC, also charged a fee to those who dumped at the school.

“An environmental infraction of this nature is a shameful act; the fact that this crime occurred on the grounds of a school, putting children at risk, is deplorable,” Cuomo said.  “We will continue to prosecute those whose actions threaten the people and environment of this state.”

Today, Judge Molea sentenced Mr. Adinolfi to pay a fine of $25,000.  Additionally, in August 2004, the Eastchester Union Free School District entered into a Consent Order with the DEC to address health concerns relating to the construction and demolition debris left on the field.  That Consent Order required the school district to conduct extensive scientific sampling and groundwater monitoring, re-grade the material, install an appropriate drainage system, and cover the material with clean fill and vegetation so that the field could be safely utilized by students.

The case was referred to the Attorney General’s Office by the DEC.  The Attorney General thanked the DEC for its assistance in the investigation.