Company, 4 Workers Face Dumping Charges

A London-based company that operated an electronics plant in Van Nuys and four of its employees were charged in Los Angeles Municipal Court on Wednesday with illegally dumping toxic wastes into the city’s sewer system, Los Angeles City Atty. James K. Hahn said.

Named in the criminal complaint were ICI Americas, which operated the now-defunct ARBCO Electronics Inc. plant, and former employees Terrell Layne Richardson, 55, of Valencia; Miguel Angel Rincon Jr., 34, of Granada Hills; Max Don Allinder, 46, of Simi Valley, and Carmelo Rosas Camacho, 43, of Panorama City.

The company produced circuit boards at a plant in the 7800 block of Gloria Avenue. The plant closed earlier this year.

ICI Americas is charged with 12 misdemeanor counts of illegally disposing of hazardous plating wastes including chromium, copper and lead. Each count carries a maximum sentence of one year in jail and a $100,000 fine.

They also are charged with 25 counts of illegally discharging heavy metals, acids and corrosives into a city sewer, one count of inadequately training employees in the handling and disposal of hazardous wastes, and one count of failing to maintain a contingency plan for use in the event of an emergency involving hazardous waste materials--all misdemeanors punishable by up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Richardson and Rincon are charged with one count of illegally disposing of hazardous wastes.

Allinder faces 10 counts of illegally disposing of hazardous plating wastes and 25 counts of illegally discharging heavy metals, acids and corrosives into the city sewer.

Camacho is charged with nine counts of illegally disposing of hazardous plating wastes and 20 counts of illegally discharging heavy metals, acids and corrosives into the city sewer.

“Not only were hazardous wastes being dumped into the city sewer at ARBCO,” Hahn said, “but contamination inside the plant was so bad that a cement floor had been eaten away by a mixture of acids and heavy metals.”

The defendants are scheduled to be arraigned Nov. 29.