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PA MARYLAND COMPANY AND PRESIDENT CONVICTED
Release Date: 06/06/97
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FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, JUNE 6, 1997
MARYLAND COMPANY AND PRESIDENT CONVICTED
Seawitch Salvage and Kerry L. Ellis, Sr. of Pasadena, Md., president and owner of Seawitch Salvage Inc., of Baltimore were convicted on seven felony counts by a jury on May 30, in U.S. Court for the District of Maryland in Baltimore. Crimes included violations of the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Rivers and Harbors Act and making a false statement to a federal agency. The violations were committed while Seawitch was executing a contract with the U.S. Navy to demolish and scrap two vessels, the U.S.S. Illusive, a minesweeper, and the U.S.S. Coral Sea, an aircraft carrier. As a part of the contract, the defendants were required to see that asbestos and other hazardous materials were properly removed from the ships prior to dismantling them. Between May 1993 and September 1995, Ellis and Seawitch directed their employees to remove material which contained asbestos from the ships, however neither Ellis nor Seawitch was licensed to engage in asbestos abatement and removal activities. During the removal, workers were exposed to asbestos without protective equipment. Such exposure can significantly increase the risk of lung cancer, certain gastrointestinal cancers, mesothelioma, and a lung disease known as “asbestosis.” In addition, Ellis submitted a false statement to the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Agency of the U.S. Department of Defense concerning the removal of asbestos from the Coral Sea. Ellis and Seawitch were also convicted of discharging oil, construction debris, paint chips, metal fragments, insulation materials and other pollutants into the Patapsco River in violation of the Clean Water Act and the Refuse Act. If given the maximum sentence on each count Ellis could face up to 24 years imprisonment and/or fines of up to $1.6 million. Seawitch faces a maximum total of $3.2 million in fines. The investigation was conducted by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service and other participants in the Baltimore Environmental Crimes Task Force with the support of EPA’s National Enforcement Investigations Center.
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