Ex-Iowa wastewater plant supervisor sentenced for tampering
Headline Legal News
A former Iowa wastewater treatment plant official has been sentenced to three months in federal prison for manipulating water sample test results to ensure plant discharges into the Missouri River met federal requirements.
Jay Niday, 63, of Sergeant Bluff, was sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court in Sioux City and was also ordered to pay $8,500 in fines and court costs, federal prosecutors for Iowa said in a news release Friday. In October, Niday pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy and falsifying or providing inaccurate information.
Niday was the second former plant official to be charged. Patrick Schwarte, who was a shift supervisor, pleaded guilty in January 2019 to the same two charges and was sentenced to two years of probation.
Prosecutors said Niday and Schwarte instructed other plant operators to raise chlorine levels added to wastewater on days that E. coli samples were taken. The elevated chlorine level would produce test samples showing plant discharges met federal limits for levels of fecal coliform and E. coli. Once the samples were taken, chlorine added to the city’s wastewater was reduced to levels unlikely to disinfect discharged water enough to meet those limits.
Niday told state investigators that administering the smaller levels of chlorine saved the city at least $100,000 in one year.
The city fired Niday and Schwarte in June 2015. No other plant employees have been charged.
Related listings
-
World trade without rules? US shuts down WTO appeals court
Headline Legal News 12/08/2019Global commerce will lose its ultimate umpire Tuesday, leaving countries unable to reach a final resolution of disputes at the World Trade Organization and instead facing what critics call “the law of the jungle.’’The United States,...
-
New Orleans judges seek review of court fees conflict ruling
Headline Legal News 09/10/2019State criminal court judges in New Orleans have asked a federal appeals court to reconsider its finding that they have a conflict of interest when deciding whether some defendants can pay fines and fees.The fines and fees in question partially fund e...
-
Quest for food stamp data lands newspaper at Supreme Court
Headline Legal News 04/18/2019In the summer of 2010, reporters at South Dakota’s Argus Leader newspaper decided to request data about the government’s food assistance program, previously known as food stamps. They thought the information could lead to a series of stor...
Victorville CA DUI Lawyers - Drunk Driving Defense Attorney
The outcome of a Victorville CA DUI defense will have a long-term effect on anyone’s life, making the decision to receive legal representation an easy one. The fact is, most people accused of a DUI are first offenders with no criminal background. Whether this is your first run in with the law or you have had previous convictions, you are in need of a DUI defense attorney.
If you fail a sobriety test or have a blood alcohol level above 0.8%, you are considered to be driving under the influence in which you will be arrested. During this time you will be read your Miranda rights and it is crucial to exercise your right to remain silent. As they say, “anything you say can and will be held against you in court.” The courtroom takes no mercy on drunk drivers and any statement you make during your arrest will only damage your case.