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The owners and managing directors of Total Reclaim, the largest Seattle-based shopping center in the Northwest
recycler of electronic waste, pleaded guilty in a federal court of
conspiracy to commit an electronic fraud, declares WE.
Lawyer Annette L. Hayes.
Craig
Lorch, 61, of Seattle, and Jeff Zirkle, 55, of Bonney Lake, Washington,
admitted to having collected millions of dollars from public bodies and others
organizations falsely telling them that Total Reclaim would recycle used
domestic electronic products in the respect of the environment. Instead of,
the defendants have secretly shipped millions of pounds of mercury-containing apartment
screens in Hong Kong, where they were disassembled so
risk of serious consequences for the health of workers and damage to workers.
environment. Both men risk up to five years in prison when they are convicted
by Richard A. Jones, US District Judge, February 1, 2019. Lorch and Zirkle
also agreed to pay compensation of up to $ 1.1 million.
"These
the accused presented their company among the good ones, signing agreements
promising to keep hazardous materials out of the environment. But even
as they made that promise, they secretly shipped millions of flat screens
observers in Hong Kong where disposal practices put workers at risk and the
the environment, "says Hayes. "Their actions were motivated by greed and a total
contempt for the promises they had made. As a result, customers
subconsciously ended up harming the environment rather than protecting it because they
planned."
"Total
Reclaim is the largest recycler of electronic waste in the northwestern United States, "says
Special Agent in charge of Jeanne M. Proctor of the EPA Criminal Investigation
Division. "Over a period of eight years, the company exported to Hong Kong
million pounds of electronic products containing mercury while defrauding
report to customers and state agencies that they were correctly
recycled. "
according to
In the cases filed in the case, Total Reclaim presented itself as a responsible
electronic recycler. Total Reclaim's website stated that "our commitment
to environmental responsibility is at the heart of everything Total Reclaim
made. "Total Reclaim signed a public pledge in which it promised not to
"Enabling the export of hazardous electronic waste we process" to developing countries
in countries where it is known that workers dismantle electronics, which contains
hazardous materials such as mercury, without safety precautions. Total
Reclaim has signed agreements with customers, such as the city of Seattle, in which
Customers have agreed to pay Total Reclaim to recycle electronic products in accordance with
with these standards. Total Reclaim was also the largest participant in
the "E-Cycle Washington" program. E-Cycle Washington allows consumers to
drop used electronics into stations such as Goodwill Industries and pay for them
companies like Total Reclaim to recycle to these electronic products, according to
Standards of the Ecology Department of Washington.
In
2008, unlike its public promises, Total Reclaim started secretly
exporting flat panel monitors to Hong Kong to avoid the cost of security
recycle monitors in the United States. Flat screen monitors are
known to contain mercury, which can cause organ damage, mental retardation and
other serious consequences for the health of people exposed to the material. Lorch
and Zirkle sent at least 8.3 million screen books to Hong
Kong between 2008 and 2015. To prevent customers and listeners
Learning the practice, Lorch and Zirkle falsified documents, made false
statements to customers and stored monitors at an undisclosed facility
while they were waiting for the expedition.
Defendants »
the fraud was discovered in 2014 by a non-governmental organization known as
Basel Action Network ("BAN"), Washington. BAN, who studies the export
electronic waste, electronic trackers placed on flat-screen monitors and
deposited them for recycling. The trackers showed that the monitors were
collected by Total Reclaim and exported to Hong Kong. When BAN
Representatives followed tracking devices in Hong Kong, they discovered
that the monitors were dismantled by workers who broke the monitors
apart without taking any precautions to protect the workers or the environment.
After BAN informed Lorch and Zirkle of his findings, the two men tried to conceal
their fraud by modifying hundreds of shipping documents.
Conspiracy
committing electronic fraud is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $ 250,000.
well.
the
the case was investigated by the Environmental Protection Agency
Investigations Division (EPA-CID). The case is continued by
Deputy Prosecutor of the United States, Seth Wilkinson.
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