Man Gets 10 Months For Dumping Waste In Potomac River
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A man who managed a company hired to clean the National Mall storm water sewer system and pleaded guilty to dumping debris and wastewater into the Potomac River has been sentenced to 10 months in prison.
Prosecutors say Patrick Brightwell of Bogart, Georgia, was sentenced Tuesday in federal court in Washington. Brightwell acknowledged as part of a plea deal that he directed workers to dump waste into the Potomac rather than taking it to a disposal facility. Brightwell pleaded guilty to violating the Clean Water Act by knowingly discharging a pollutant without a permit and presenting false claims to the United States.
He has been ordered to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in restitution.
Brightwell's lawyer did not immediately return a telephone call requesting comment.
(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
