6 former Fairfield officials appear in court after hazardous waste dumping allegations

Six former Fairfield officials were in court Monday, accused of dumping hazardous waste at sites all over town. The hazardous material were first detected back in 2016. A seventh defendant pleaded guilty last week.

News 12 Staff

Nov 15, 2022, 11:05 PM

Updated 688 days ago

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Six former Fairfield officials were in court Monday, accused of dumping hazardous waste at sites all over town. The hazardous material were first detected back in 2016. A seventh defendant pleaded guilty last week.
Judge Kevin Russo said while none of the defendants were likely to reoffend, the charges against former town employees Brian Carey, Emmet Hibson and Scott Bartlett and former contractors Robert Grabarek and Jason Julian were too serious to qualify for accelerated rehabilitation.
Officials say at least nine states and federal agencies put resources into the investigation.
Department of Energy and Environmental Protection officials testified to officials' involvement in the illegal dumping of solid waste and PCBs.
Former chief financial officer Robert Mayer's accelerated rehabilitation motion continued to December while the court waits on more information.
Former Department of Public Works director Joe Michelangelo pleaded guilty to his part in the conspiracy last week. Town Attorney James Baldwin says remediation from the illegal dumping has cost the town millions and will cost millions more.
Investigators say Julian Enterprises accepted contaminated materials like asbestos and PCBs while managing Fairfield's fill pile on Richard White Way. Officials say they then sold the contaminated fill for other construction projects around town.