Gary Rasmussen of San Diego CA was sentenced Aug 13, 2001, for his conviction on two counts of illegally transporting hazardous waste in violation of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and one count of conspiracy to violate the law. He was sentenced to serve five months in prison and five months in a community confinement center. He also must reimburse the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) $50,689 in cleanup costs and pay a $3,000 fine.
Rasmussen illegally transported hazardous waste from Oceanside CA to an unapproved site in Chula Vista CA without a hazardous waste manifest, according to the EPA. The wastes, discovered in a container at a vacant lot in Chula Vista, consisted of crystallized picric acid, tetrahydrofuran, and sodium metal — all potentially explosive. Nitroethane, potassium dichromate, nitric acid, copper cyanide, potassium cyanide, sulfuric acid, and hydrochloric acid also were found in the container. The reactive wastes could have exploded, if disturbed, and caused a fire. A toxic cyanide gas cloud — a serious risk to human health — could have been released if acids and cyanides mixed as a result of an explosion.
Rasmussen's co-conspirator, Marvin Hutchinson, who along with Rasmussen oversaw the loading of the container with the hazardous waste, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate RCRA and to unlawful transportation of hazardous materials. This case was investigated by the EPA's Criminal Investigation Division, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Department of Transportation's inspector general, and the San Diego County Department of Environmental Health Services. The case was prosecuted by the US Attorney's Office in San Diego.