Owego Businessman Admits Improperly Handling Hazardous Waste

An Owego man is to be sentenced in September after pleading guilty to treating, storing and disposing of hazardous waste without a permit.

Federal prosecutors say 46 year old Brian Davis is the owner of Large Car LLC, which installs and removes old industrial plating equipment for re-use or recycling.

Authorities say Davis removed chemicals including arsenic, chromium, lead and selenium from a bankrupt waste generator in New Hampshire without a permit, transported the material to Owego and stored or treated it over the course of almost a year.

Officials with the U.S. Department of Justice say Davis also treated and disposed of much of the waste by igniting and evaporating it, mixing it with other materials or shipping it offsite.

Davis will be sentenced in Federal Court in Binghamton September 25 and faces up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $15 million and could be held responsible to pay any charges associated with the cleanup and removal of the remaining hazardous waste.