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HAWAII FARM OWNER PLEADS GUILTY TO PESTICIDE CRIME
Release Date: 09/23/99
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THURSDAY, SEPT. 23, 1999
HAWAII FARM OWNER PLEADS GUILTY TO PESTICIDE CRIME
Kap Dong Kim, owner of a ginger root farm in Hilo, Hawaii, pleaded guilty on Sept. 13, in U.S. District Court in Honolulu to illegally using the restricted use pesticide “Nemacur” on his ginger root crop in violation of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act. Kim also admitted to misleading a government official in order to conceal his crime. Kim directed workers to apply Nemacur to his ginger root crop, even though Nemacur is prohibited for use on ginger root. After the worker was injured, Kim deliberately failed to disclose that his worker had applied Nemacur when questioned by an Hawaii Department of Agriculture official who was conducting the investigation. When sentenced, Kim faces a maximum term of up to 5 years 1 month imprisonment and/or a fine of up to $255,000. The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division, the Hawaii Department of Agriculture with the assistance of EPA’s National Enforcement Investigations Center, and is being prosecuted by the U.S. Department of Justice.
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