Garbage Kingpin Pleads Guilty In Macomb County Corruption Case

PORT HURON, MI – Charles B. "Chuck" Rizzo, the former CEO of garbage hauler Rizzo Environmental Services, pleaded guilty on Thursday to conspiring to commit bribery and wire fraud, in connection with millions of dollars of municipal garbage contracts in Macomb County and embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from his company.

Rizzo faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, according to a statement from the office of acting U.S. Attorney Daniel Lemisch. As part of the plea deal, Rizzo also agreed to forfeit $4 million to the U.S. government. That money represents the proceeds of Rizzo’s criminal activity in securing municipal garbage contracts by paying bribes and embezzling money.

Rizzo admitted at the plea hearing in before U.S. District Judge Robert H. Cleland in Port Huron that he conspired to pay bribes to Clinton Township Trustee Dean Reynolds and Macomb Township Trustee Clifford Freitas in order to secure and maintain favorable municipal garbage contracts for his company.

Rizzo admitted giving Reynolds over $50,000 in cash bribes, plus free legal services in order to get a garbage contract extension from Clinton Township. He also admitted to offering to pay Freitas a bribe of $35,000, plus a salary increase, if Freitas voted to put the company's garbage bill on the Macomb Township water bill, which would reduce the company’s cost of doing business.

The case is part of the government’s wide-ranging corruption investigation centered in Macomb County. The investigation of this case was conducted by the FBI and the IRS.

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