ULSTER COUNTY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — New York Attorney General (AG) Letitia James and Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos announced a lawsuit against 29 companies for illegal dumping in Ulster County. AG James seeks companies to give up all revenues and profits gained from this illegal activity, and potentially millions of dollars in penalties.

AG James reports the companies repeatedly violated state law by transporting more than 3,000 truckloads of construction and demolition (C&D) waste originating from the New York City metropolitan area to the site in Saugerties, which was only authorized to accept waste from Ulster and Dutchess counties. James comments, “By ignoring these laws and repeatedly dumping construction waste where they were not permitted, these 29 companies threatened our natural resources and risked health and safety of New Yorkers in Ulster County. My office remains committed to aggressively enforcing our environmental protection laws and holding those who violate them fully accountable.”

James and Seggos filed a lawsuit against owner and operator of the Saugerties dump site, Joseph Karolys in June 2020. According to James, Karolys repeatedly accepted C&D waste from the 29 haulers and brokers named in the current lawsuit, violating New York solid waste and water pollution laws. Along with the 2020 lawsuit, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) and DEC began an investigation into the companies that brought the waste to the site.

James and Seggos report there are sites in the NYC area where these companies could have delivered, but they decided to make the two-three hour commute to Saugerties where Karolys’s site is located. The suit alleges that the willingness to travel that far to dump these loads suggests the companies knew that Karolys was unlawfully accepting these materials at his site. Karolys also charged these companies a lower fee and the suit further alleges that as a result, the haulers knew that Karolys was running an illegal business.

Companies named in the lawsuit

  • AGP Industries LLC
  • American Recycling Management LLC
  • Atlas Roll-Off Corp.
  • B&A Trucking Corp.
  • DNA Transport, LLC
  • Dynamic Environmental Contractors, Inc.
  • E&E Commercial Corp.
  • ECC Trucking Corp.
  • Finest Materials LLC
  • H&P Industries Inc.
  • IEV Industries Corp.
  • J & D Carrying & Construction Corp.
  • J.B. Trucking of NY Inc.
  • James DePietro Enterprises LLC
  • JK Concrete Ready Mix Inc.
  • JR’s Premium Trucking, Inc.
  • K.D.E. Trucking Corp.
  • La Americana Car Service, LLC d/b/a La Americana Trucking
  • Logan Trucking, Inc.
  • Modern Leasing, Inc.
  • Northside Industries LLC
  • P.J. Logistics, Inc.
  • Richmond Construction Inc.
  • River Transportation Services Inc.
  • T. & R. Construction Corp.
  • Tully Environmental Inc.
  • Vigorous Industries Inc.
  • Way Trucking Corp.
  • Zevel Transfer LLC