EPA agent: Caldwell's violations too 'egregious' to warrant leniency

For the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, it was justice served.

Ray Caldwell and his All-Out Sewer and Drain company in December were found guilty of 25 counts of breaking the federal Clean Water Act. In April, Caldwell was sentenced to 27 months in prison and a $250,000 fine. In May, he was ordered to pay $650,000 in restitution.

After an aggressive investigation, the EPA could say it had won.

I was very pleased with a number that high, said Tyler Amon, special agent in charge of criminal investigation for the Northwest region of the EPA. I think from the governments position (demand for restitution) could have been much higher up to $900,000 but cases (like that) come to some kind of an agreement often.

Government prosecutors had sought 42 months in prison and $650,000 in fines, on top of higher restitution, but Amon said this case still should send a strong message to those in the septic industry and any other potential polluters.

This does come up pretty often in the Northwest, unfortunately, with corners being cut, he said. We dont have regulators on every corner; its a merit system.

Caldwell was convicted of dumping collected septic tank wastes directly into the citys sewer lines over 10 years and later underreporting by hundreds of thousands of gallons the sewage his company collected. That shortchanged the county, city and Three Rivers Wastewater system of revenue that should have been collected in per-gallon dumping fees.

Amon said two main points led to his agencys successful pursuit that All-Out had been illegally dumping for so long, and that Caldwell didnt stop after being approached by investigators nearly a decade into his polluting.

Often even just an interview from a federal investigator is enough to bring someone in line, Amon said, but Caldwell continued his illegal practices even after several jurisdictions became involved in investigating the company.

The EPA got involved in the Caldwell case in 2012, following the allegations of wrongdoing initially investigated by the city of Longview in 2010. Drawing on allegations from past employees, neighbors and local regulators, EPA obtained and carried out a search warrant in August 2012, which is serious business, Amon said.

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EPA agent: Caldwell's violations too 'egregious' to warrant leniency