Former Fairfield Official Pleads Not Guilty In Fill Pile Case

FAIRFIELD, CT — Fairfield's former public works director pleaded not guilty Thursday to the many felony charges he faces in connection with illegal dumping and other crimes related to operations at the town public works yard.

In addition to his plea, Joe Michelangelo requested a jury trial, according to his attorney, Eugene Riccio. Michelangelo is charged with being an accessory to illegal dumping, being an accessory to the handling of solid waste without a permit and being an accessory to illegal discharge, as well as forgery and conspiracy, according to court records.

Michelangelo, former public works superintendent Scott Bartlett and Julian Companies Owner Jason Julian were arrested in August. Bartlett and Julian both face similar charges and pleaded not guilty earlier in October. After their arrests, Michelangelo and Bartlett were each fired from their town jobs.

Also Thursday, Prosecutor Tamberlyn Conopask filed a motion to keep an affidavit sealed, Riccio said. The affidavit, which would remain sealed for two weeks if the motion is granted, is related to a warrant for an Oct. 3 search of town contractor Osprey Environmental Engineering LLC, he said. A hearing on the matter involving attorneys representing Bartlett and Julian is scheduled for Friday.

Fairfield hired Julian in 2013 to operate the public works yard and reduce the size of a pile of unused project material by 40,000 cubic yards. But over the next three years, the pile more than doubled in size, and days before the agreement was set to end, PCBs and lead were discovered on the property.

After conservation officials said the transportation and dumping of contaminated material could have violated state or federal law, police opened an investigation in 2017, which resulted in the arrests.

Around the same time that Bartlett, Julian and Michelangelo were charged, asbestos was reported at a local park, and not long after that, the town released a list of 20 priority contamination testing sites that received fill material from the public works yard when it was operated by Julian.

A total of 60 areas in Fairfield have since been evaluated, and 50 have been deemed safe. Sites that tested positive for contamination were found to contain asbestos, arsenic, lead and PCBs, as well as other contaminants. Up to 42 more locations may still be evaluated.

In addition to the criminal case, Fairfield has sued Julian for millions in damages and Julian has sued the town for defamation.