Environmental Crimes

The consequences of an environmental crime conviction for any business are grave—ranging from probation, fines and restitution to being barred from contracting with the federal and/or state government.

Our expertise in responding to criminal environmental investigations is based on our ability to effectively draw on the collective experience of lawyers with diverse backgrounds to develop teams designed to effectively address the issues presented by a criminal environmental investigation.

We have represented a local government in connection with an EPA criminal investigation into the causes of a long-term wastewater leak that resulted in a discharge.

We are also presently representing a corporate client in a federal prosecution arising from an investigation by the local district attorney, the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the EPA, and the U.S. Department of Justice Environmental Crimes Section into alleged violations of the Clean Water Act. In that case, we have combined the expertise of an environmental lawyer, two former federal prosecutors and a former Supreme Court clerk to respond to the government's accusations from the pretrial investigation phase through the appeals process. This unique approach provides the technical expertise necessary to accomplish the client's objectives at each phase of the process.