A Lockport man pleaded guilty to making a materially false statement during a federal investigation into a large pile of hazardous hand sanitizer dumped at a Niagara Falls property, prosecutors said.
Michael J. Hale, 65, entered the plea before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara in Buffalo, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York. The charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Federal prosecutors said the Environmental Protection Agency executed a search warrant in December 2023 at 3800 Highland Ave. in Niagara Falls after a community member reported in October 2023 that a large amount of hand sanitizer had been dumped outside.
Investigators documented a pile of expired hand sanitizer measuring about 73 feet long, 24 feet wide and 5 feet high, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Samples were determined to be ignitable under the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, making the material hazardous waste.
Prosecutors say defendant denied knowing how material arrived
Hale was vice president of Regional Logistics Group LLC, a warehousing company that rented space at the Highland Avenue property, prosecutors said.
During the search, investigators called Hale and asked how the hand sanitizer reached the property. Prosecutors said he claimed he did not know and was unaware of when it had arrived.
Hale knew the hand sanitizer had been dumped outside and had originally been brought to the property between January and May 2022, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. His guilty plea resolves the false-statement charge; the release did not announce any charge against the company or describe the current condition of the site.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango is prosecuting the case. The investigation involved the EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 22 before Arcara. Any sentence will be determined by the judge after considering federal law and sentencing guidelines.
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