(Radio Iowa) – A former member of the city council in Sioux City has been ordered to pay a more than four MILLION dollar fine for committing what a federal prosecutor calls “environmental crimes.” Forty-seven-year-old Aaron Rochester of Sioux City ran businesses that promised to recycle electronic components. In 2018, the State of Iowa filed a lawsuit against Rochester, accusing him of illegally storing 12 million pounds of hazardous waste in Sioux City and another four-and-a-half million pounds of waste at sites in Nebraska. It was mainly the leaded glass from televisions and computer monitors according to court records.

A Special Agent for the E-PA says Rochester’s disregard for the laws governing how to properly handle hazardous waste posed significant risk to nearby communities. In March of this year, Rochester pleaded guilty in FEDERAL court to one count of unlawful storage of hazardous waste and one count of transportation of hazardous waste. A federal judge issued the four-million dollar fine this week and sentenced Rochester to probation for three years.