Three Men Enter Guilty Pleas in EPA Clean Air Case

Aug 14, 2001 12:00 PM

William N. Koeck of Bricktown NJ, Nabil Mohtadi of South Plainfield NJ, and David Loane of Franklin TN, have pleaded guilty in United States District Court for the District of New Jersey to conspiring to violate the Clean Air Act by falsifying data on bulk fuel shipments, according to information from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The falsifications were to avoid the costs of remixing fuel that did not meet minimum federal standards for oxygen content. Increasing the oxygen content of gasoline is required at certain times of the year, usually during the summer months, to reduce vehicle exhaust pollutants that contribute to increased levels of ozone, according to the EPA information.

Each defendant faces a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine.