Shaker Heights Man Accused Of Environmental Violations

SHAKER HEIGHTS, OH — A Shaker Heights man has been accused of improperly operating an incinerator, the Department of Justice announced. Anthony Gray faces charges in federal court.

Gray 63, was indicted this week on one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States. Gray was the co-owner of Lomack Drum Company (LDC). The business was located in Cleveland and reconditioned metal drums.

According to the indictment, Gray served as the company's operations and sales manager. Another owner, identified only as Owner 2 in court documents, served as environmental and maintenance manager.

As part of a reconditioning process, some drums were passed through an incinerator at Gray's business, the indictment said. The contents of the drum would be burned out. For complete combustion to occur, the incinerator had to be run at a certain temperature.

In 2009, a restraining order was issued against LDC. The temporary order told LDC to stop operating its incinerator. Gray and Owner 2 then agreed to several conditions for running their incinerator, including demonstrating that it could operate at 1,600 degree Fahrenheit, the indictment said.

When Gray and Owner 2 held demonstrations, the incinerator could not maintain the required temperature, the indictment said.

Gray, and Owner 2, ran the incinerator at night and lied to authorities about running the machine, the indictment said. Both owners, and LDC employees, ran the incinerator numerous times in 2013 and 2014, the indictment said.

The incinerator emitted an odor and produced flaming drums that could be seen several hundred feet away, the indictment said.

Gray and LDC were investigated by the U.S. EPA's criminal investigation division, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Ohio EPA and the Cleveland police, fire department and division of air pollution control.