On October 17, 2017, Phillip Huddleston pled guilty to one count of illegal storage of hazardous waste without a permit at Protech Metal Finishing, LLC, a metal plating facility he owned and operated in Vonore, Tennessee. Huddleston was represented by David M Eldridge of Eldridge & Blakney PC out of Knoxville, TN.
On October 2, 2017, John Hatfield, the Protech production manager, pled guilty to being an accessory after-the-fact to Protech’s illegal storage of hazardous waste. Hatfield was represented by Robert R Kurtz of Stanley & Kurtz, PLLC out of Knoxville, TN. Hatfield represented that containers of hazardous waste were accurately labeled when he knew that they were not and that it was done in order to hinder the investigation of Protech’s compliance.
Huddleston faces a maximum penalty under RCRA of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000.00. Huddleston is scheduled to be sentenced on January 8, 2017. Hatfield faces a maximum penalty (for accessory-after-the-fact) of one year in prison and a fine of $25,000.00. Hatfield is scheduled to be sentenced on January 10, 2017.
The prosecution was the result of an investigation by the IRS, EPA-CID, TVA-OIG, the US Department of Defense and the US Department of Energy.
More later.
As always, feel free to contact me at walter.james@jamespllc.com
WDJiii