Mob Tied To Dumping Toxic Soil At New Jersey Sites, State Says

Dumpers with mob ties have been exploiting loopholes in the recycling business to dump contaminated fill at huge profits in environmentally sensitive areas, according to a State Commission of Investigation.

In particular, the haulers have been carrying dirt and construction debris from a development site in the Bronx to a Superstorm Sandy-damaged beach along the Raritan Bay and other locations in New Jersey, according to nj.com.

Then a middleman with ties to organized crime has arranged to use the contaminated fill to replenish erosion at Cliffwood Beach in Old Bridge - a violation of local and state regulations, according to the report.

The revelations came during a Statehouse hearing Wednesday from an attorney from the State Commission of Investigation, Andrew Cliver, as well as others who appeared.

One broker, Frank Gillette, invoked his Fifth Amendment right to avoid self-incrimination, according to the report.

The probe recalled decade-old problems of the mob infiltrating the sector to dump illegally, which led to scores of federal Superfund toxic waste sites in New Jersey, according to New Jersey Spotlight.

In response, the state passed a tough licensing law for those involved in the garbage and hazardous waste fields, a measure some thought would resolve the problem and weed out criminal elements from the business. Not so, said the SCI.

The state has a law requiring garbage and hazardous waste industries to pass background checks, but the requirements do not apply to the recycling industry.

Witnesses told of the huge profits earned by those who pass off contaminated soil and construction debris as clean fill, usually on residential properties and other land where people and young children can be exposed to the pollutants, according to the report.

Gillette, a broker with ties to organized crime, controlled several companies that trucked 350 truckloads of mostly construction debris to be used as clean fill to combat erosion there. His companies received $320,000 for the fill, which came from a Bronx factory, according to the report.

Another case case cited by the SCI involved Jersey Recycling Services, a former recycling center in Palmyra, which was cited for taking in contaminated soil and construction debris from New Brunswick and Camden, according to the report.