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Maryland, Virginia Companies and Associates of Companies Plead Guilty to Buying False Asbestos Training Certificates

Release Date: 10/16/2003
Contact Information:


Luke C. Hester 202-564-7818 / [email protected]

(10/16/03) Between Sept. 30 and Oct. 3, several guilty pleas for buying false asbestos training certificates were entered in federal court in Alexandria, Va. Marcor Remediation Inc., of Hunt Valley, Md.; Macsons Inc., of Norfolk, Va.; William McCloud, a contract representative for Macsons; Environmental Testing and Monitoring Services Inc. (ETMS), of Virginia Beach, Va.; Fred Guest, President of ETMS; and Scott Eggleston, Vice-President of ETMS, all pled guilty to buying the certificates from F&M Environmental Technologies Inc. F&M had previously pled guilty in 2001 to selling these certificates. In addition, Marcor was sentenced and will pay a $200,000 fine. Sentencing for the other defendants is pending. The false certificates were used to obtain contracts for asbestos project monitoring inspections, management planning and industrial hygiene services at a number of facilities in Virginia. Proper training is required to monitor asbestos projects in order to prevent human exposure to airborne asbestos fibers. Inhaling airborne asbestos fibers is a cause of lung cancer, a lung disease known as asbestosis, and mesothelioma, which is a cancer of the chest and abdominal cavities. The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division (Washington, D.C.), the FBI, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations, the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division, the Defense Contract Audit Office and the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Alexandria, Va.