Two former Greenfield Township wastewater treatment plant employees were found guilty of multiple Clean Water Act violations and wire fraud.
The father-son duo, Bruce Evans, Sr., and Bruce Evans, Jr., routinely failed to follow guidelines imposed by the environmental law and restrictions imposed in a permit issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) and the United States Environmental Protections Agency (EPA).
Because of their failure to properly follow regulations, nearby water sources were filled with pollutants on multiple occasions.
Furthermore, Bruce Evans Sr. utilized funds from his job for his personal benefit and the benefit of his family, resulting in wire fraud charges.
Not only did the two individuals violate the provisions of the law, they sought to hide the issues from other members of the Greenfield Township Sewer Authority (GTSA).
“The investigation uncovered repeated warnings about deficient facility inspections, permit non-compliance, community complaints about foul odors and visible raw sewage routinely overflowing from the Route 106 pump station, and false statements reported to the PADEP by both Evans Sr. and Evans, Jr. It was also learned that information concerning deficient plant operations and clean water act violations was routinely conveyed directly to [Bruce] Evans, Sr. as the GTSA’s responsible corporate officer from the PADEP, but [Bruce] Evans, Sr. concealed that information from his fellow GTSA board members over a period of many years,” the release from the Department of Justice detailed.
In total, Bruce Evans Sr. was found guilty of 20 counts of Clean Water Act violations, four counts of wire fraud, and four counts of obstruction of PADEP certified mail. He could face more than 20 years in prison.
Bruce Evans Jr. was convicted of four counts of Clean Water Act violations, and one count of submitting a false statement to the PADEP.
The trial, which lasted several weeks, will officially end when the two are sentenced in the first half of 2022.
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Cooper Moran is a reporter for The Star News Network. Follow Cooper on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
