GOTEC Plus Sun, LLC, a Delaware-based auto parts manufacturer, was sentenced on April 17 to pay a $275,000 fine and serve one year of probation after pleading guilty to illegal storage of hazardous waste at its Williamstown, Kentucky facility. Former General Manager Natalie Fehse was also sentenced on March 30 to five years of probation, including ten months of home confinement and a $5,000 fine for her involvement.
The case highlights the importance of proper hazardous waste management to protect public health and safety. The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) regulates how companies handle such materials. According to court documents, an inspection by the Kentucky Department of Environmental Protection on June 27, 2024 found hundreds of containers filled with hazardous waste stored without the required permit at GOTEC’s plant.
GOTEC admitted that from January 2022 through November 2024 it failed to properly dispose of all generated hazardous waste due to staffing shortages and decreased revenue during the COVID shutdown. Instead, the company accumulated drums and other containers filled with flammable and toxic solvents without a RCRA permit.
“The illegal accumulation and storage of hundreds of containers of hazardous waste at GOTEC posed a substantial danger to plant workers, emergency responders, and the general public,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “This prosecution sends the message that hazardous waste generators must properly handle hazardous wastes or potentially face felony prosecution for their illegal conduct.” Jason Parman, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky said: “Unpermitted storage of hazardous waste that endangers Kentuckians will not be tolerated… which averted a potential disaster.” EPA’s Assistant Administrator Jeffrey A. Hall added: “Companies that cut corners by accumulating hazardous wastes—such as the hundreds of drums… rather than disposing them properly endanger communities… This case demonstrates cooperative federalism in action.”
The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky enforces federal laws—including environmental regulations—and prosecutes criminal cases according to its official website. The office also works with federal, state, and local agencies on initiatives like drug abuse prevention programs and elder protection efforts according to its official website. It functions under the U.S. Department of Justice according to its official website.
EPA Criminal Investigation Division (CID) agents along with state officials conducted this investigation; prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Greenfield alongside Senior Trial Attorney Matthew Morris from ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section.
The United States Attorney’s Office for this district maintains community safety through prosecutions as well as partnerships addressing issues like elder abuse or drug prevention—a mission dating back to its origin under the Judiciary Act of 1789 according to its official website.
