Brothers Charged with Illegal Dumping
HARRISBURG – Two Lebanon County men who run a family-operated waste hauling business were charged today with allegedly dumping $500,000 worth of private and commercial waste at local landfill and billing Wyomissing Borough for the trash.
Acting Attorney General Bill Ryan identified the defendants as Joseph Barry, 48, and his brother John Barry, 46, both of Lebanon County. Joseph Barry is the president of Lebanon Farms Disposal, Inc., 230 Obie Road, Newmanstown, Heidelberg Township, Lebanon County.
Evidence and testimony regarding the case was presented to a statewide investigating grand jury, which recommended the criminal charges being filed today.
Ryan said that Lebanon Farms Disposal provides commercial, private residential and municipal waste collection and disposal throughout Berks, Dauphin, Lebanon, Lancaster, and York counties.
According to the grand jury, from 1992 to 2008, Lebanon Farms was contracted to provide residential trash hauling services to Wyomissing Borough, Berks County. The company was paid an annual fee to collect waste, transport and dump it at a local landfill.
Ryan said that from 2006 to 2009 Wyomissing Borough contracted with the Pioneer Crossing landfill located in Birdsboro, Berks County, for the disposal of all borough residential waste. Under the terms of the contract, Wyomissing Borough was billed monthly for all waste Lebanon Farms dumped at the landfill.
According to the grand jury, John and Joseph Barry organized information contained in drivers’ “route sheets” and for designating specific truck routes or changes to those routes.
The charges state that drivers who operated Lebanon Farms garbage trucks were frequently instructed on their route sheets to pick up commercial waste inside Wyomissing Borough and residential and community waste outside of Wyomissing Borough.
The grand jury found that Lebanon Farms garbage trucks routinely picked up waste from at least 71 different locations, including commercial and other residential areas, commingled it with Wyomissing Borough residential waste and dumped the loads at the Pioneer Crossing landfill.
Agents estimate that from 2006 through 2008 Lebanon Farms dumped an average of 6,000 tons and averaged 496 deliveries to the landfill. The borough of Wyomissing was billed an average of $361,672 for those deliveries.
Ryan said that after Wyomissing Borough changed waste companies their yearly waste bill dropped to approximately $200,000 for 270 deliveries of 3,268 tons of garbage.
Ryan thanked the Department of Environmental Protection for their assistance with the investigation
The case will be prosecuted in Lebanon County by Chief Deputy Attorney General Glenn Parno of the Attorney General’s Environmental Crimes Section.
Below is a complete list of the defendants and the charges against them.
- Joseph G. Barry, 48, 320 Obie Road, Newmanstown, Lebanon County is charged with two counts of theft by deception, two counts of receiving stolen property, one count of tampering with public records and one count of criminal conspiracy.
- John D. Barry, 46, 135 Springhaven Road, Newmanstown, Lebanon County, is charged with two counts of theft by deception, two counts of receiving stolen property, one count of tampering with public records and one count of criminal conspiracy.
Commonwealth Media Service
Acting Attorney General Bill Ryan identified the defendants as Joseph Barry, 48, and his brother John Barry, 46, both of Lebanon County. Joseph Barry is the president of Lebanon Farms Disposal, Inc., 230 Obie Road, Newmanstown, Heidelberg Township, Lebanon County.
Evidence and testimony regarding the case was presented to a statewide investigating grand jury, which recommended the criminal charges being filed today.
Ryan said that Lebanon Farms Disposal provides commercial, private residential and municipal waste collection and disposal throughout Berks, Dauphin, Lebanon, Lancaster, and York counties.
According to the grand jury, from 1992 to 2008, Lebanon Farms was contracted to provide residential trash hauling services to Wyomissing Borough, Berks County. The company was paid an annual fee to collect waste, transport and dump it at a local landfill.
Ryan said that from 2006 to 2009 Wyomissing Borough contracted with the Pioneer Crossing landfill located in Birdsboro, Berks County, for the disposal of all borough residential waste. Under the terms of the contract, Wyomissing Borough was billed monthly for all waste Lebanon Farms dumped at the landfill.
According to the grand jury, John and Joseph Barry organized information contained in drivers’ “route sheets” and for designating specific truck routes or changes to those routes.
The charges state that drivers who operated Lebanon Farms garbage trucks were frequently instructed on their route sheets to pick up commercial waste inside Wyomissing Borough and residential and community waste outside of Wyomissing Borough.
The grand jury found that Lebanon Farms garbage trucks routinely picked up waste from at least 71 different locations, including commercial and other residential areas, commingled it with Wyomissing Borough residential waste and dumped the loads at the Pioneer Crossing landfill.
Agents estimate that from 2006 through 2008 Lebanon Farms dumped an average of 6,000 tons and averaged 496 deliveries to the landfill. The borough of Wyomissing was billed an average of $361,672 for those deliveries.
Ryan said that after Wyomissing Borough changed waste companies their yearly waste bill dropped to approximately $200,000 for 270 deliveries of 3,268 tons of garbage.
Ryan thanked the Department of Environmental Protection for their assistance with the investigation
The case will be prosecuted in Lebanon County by Chief Deputy Attorney General Glenn Parno of the Attorney General’s Environmental Crimes Section.
Below is a complete list of the defendants and the charges against them.
- Joseph G. Barry, 48, 320 Obie Road, Newmanstown, Lebanon County is charged with two counts of theft by deception, two counts of receiving stolen property, one count of tampering with public records and one count of criminal conspiracy.
- John D. Barry, 46, 135 Springhaven Road, Newmanstown, Lebanon County, is charged with two counts of theft by deception, two counts of receiving stolen property, one count of tampering with public records and one count of criminal conspiracy.
Commonwealth Media Service
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