Stamford Sewage Hauler Pleads Guilty to Illegal Dumping

The Stamford septic sewage hauler accused of illegally dumping more than 7 million pounds of sewage into the city’s sewer system has been ordered to shutter the business and repay the city more than $100,000 in lost dumping fees.

Robert Aillery, owner of Stright’s Septic, was arrested by Stamford Police in November on three counts of first-degree larceny in connection with what they said was the illegal disposal of 7,058,288 pounds of waste by pumping the sewage from his business on Knickerbocker Avenue in Springdale, bypassing the city’s Water Pollution Control Authority and robbing the agency of $101,660 in dumping fees.

When police and city officials announced Aillery’s arrest in November, Mayor David Martin said he wanted the city to recoup its lost fees.

The illegal dumping, police said, occurred from 2012 until March 2014 when investigators serving a search warrant caught Aillery hooking up pipes from his septic pump trucks inside his garage and pumping sewage into nearby sewer drains.

On Thursday, Aillery pleaded guilty to charges of fourth-degree larceny and discharging of sewage without a permit under the Alvord Doctrine, according to The Advocate. He was ordered to pay the city $104,000 to cover the cost of the lost dumping fees and the cost for the city to close the 8-inch pipe that he installed in the garage of his home at 84 Knickerbocker Ave., according to the report.

Aillery also agreed to relinquish the mixed-use zoning variance he received years ago that permitted him operate the business from his home. He will be allowed to have his business office there but none of the company’s equipment, according to The Advocate report that can be found here.