A Connecticut business owner avoided jail time after being sentenced for his part in a dumping scandal at the Fairfield Department of Public Works, CTPost reported. According to Fox61, Robert Grabarek, owner of Osprey Environmental Engineering, received a three-year suspended sentence and a fine of $28,000.
Grabarek rejected a plea deal in July 2024 that could have resulted in four years in prison and restitution of $3 million to the town, per CTPost. Instead, he accepted another plea bargain in September. Grabarek, who showed little remorse for his actions, per the New Haven Register, won't spend a day in prison for his role in the scandal.
This wasn't his first brush with the law; the state board of examiners also reprimanded him in 2017.
The town contracted Osprey Environmental Engineering to clean up the site, but it illegally disposed of harmful chemicals, including polychlorinated biphenyls, and covered up the act instead. Exposure to PCBs can increase the risk of cancer, immune system suppression, and reproductive failures, per the United Nations Environment Program.
The outcome was a bitter blow to the workers exposed to hazardous substances at Fairfield DPW. Scott Leamon, a long-serving land surveyor with the town, told the court that Grabarek assured DPW workers the site was safe, but they are now worried about the long-term effects. "We might suffer ill effects for just doing our jobs, " he said, per the New Haven Register.
Grabarek was one of seven people indicted in the lengthy legal dispute, which began with a police investigation in 2019, per the Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice.
Three received prison sentences: Scott Bartlett, the former public works superintendent, is serving a five-year prison sentence, according to Patch; Joseph Michelangelo, the former public works director, received six months, per CT Insider; and developer Jason Julian got 18 months and a $2.5 million fine, Patch revealed.
The estimated cost of the cleanup to the town reached $8.8 million in April 2024, per CT Insider, and Fairfield First Selectman Bill Gerber warned the final cost could be "much higher."
|
Do you think your city has good air quality? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Definitely 🥰 
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
