Stamford Septic Waste Hauler Is Accused of Dumping Sewage in City Drains

The owner of a septic waste company is facing larceny charges following a Stamford Police investigation into allegations that the company pumped raw sewage into storm drains to avoid paying dumping fees at the Stamford Water Pollution Control Authority.

According Stamford Police, Robert Aillery, 58, of 84 Knickerbocker Ave., Stamford, surrendered Thursday morning to police who obtained an arrest warrant charging him with three counts of first-degree larceny, following an intensive 18-month investigation.

The warrant cites Aillery with depriving the City of Stamford, Water Pollution Authority, of income. The warrant states that Aillery, the owner of Stright Septic, dumped septic waste pumped from customer septic systems into City of Stamford’s sewer system and avoided paying disposal fees to the WPCA. The flow of sewage from 84 Knickerbocker Ave. was measured by flow meters installed by the WPCA.

During the investigation, a search warrant was executed at 84 Knickerbocker Ave. and at that time investigators observed a hose hooked to a valve on a septic waste truck with the other end into a drain leading into the city sewer system.

“Although only charged with the three counts of larceny this illegal disposal of waste also impacted the neighbors of 84 Knickerbocker with foul odors and backflows into some homes with raw sewage,” police said in a statement.

The investigation began in May 2013 when the WPCA made a formal complaint regarding Stright’s disposal practices, police said. The investigation was conducted with the assistance of the WPCA’s Regulatory Compliance Officer who supplied the investigators with the methodology and expertise required in this complicated and intricate investigation.

Aillery is being held on a $150,000 court set bond and is scheduled to be arraigned in state Superior Court in Stamford on Thursday.

The Environmental Crime Unit of the Chief State’s Attorney Office will be prosecuting the case, police said.

Lt. Diedrich Hohn, commander of the Bureau of Criminal Investigations, said, “I would like to acknowledge Sgt. Peter diSpagna and Officer Heather Bozentko of the SPD Property crimes division for spearheading this long, involved investigation. They worked tirelessly and diligently on this investigation which defrauded the community and successfully brought it to this point of the investigation.”

Photo: Courtesy of Stamford Police.

Have a news tip? Email barbara.heins@patch.com. You can also post your own news, events and announcements on Patch by following these directions. Curious about how our new commenting platform, Disqus, works? Learn more about it here and start interacting with your neighbors on Patch.