Suffolk DA: 30 people, 9 corporations charged in illegal dumping case

Suffolk District Attorney Tim Sini on Monday announced charges against 30 people and nine corporations in what he calls one of the largest environmental crime cases in New York history.
The indictment alleges an ongoing pattern of illegal dumping of construction materials and dirt that Sini says is hazardous.
"These include volatile organic compounds, semi-volatile compounds, pesticides and metals such as arsenic, lead and mercury," he says.
Prosecutors say the contaminated dirt was dumped at two dozen locations across Long Island, including at a home at 515 Wilson Blvd. in Central Islip. The area remains restricted.
As News 12 reported in July, prosecutors say the scheme was organized by Anthony Grazio, the alleged "dirt broker" in the scheme. They say he advertised on Craigslist went door to door to get unsuspecting homeowners to agree to take the dirt, promising it was clean and good for home improvement projects.
Grazio would then allegedly tell the truck drivers exactly where to dump the dirt.
The DA says wiretapped audio captured Grazio's response to being told the dirt dumped in Central Islip was dangerous: "Five blocks from there, you got MS-13 killing kids, what the (expletive) are you worried about some dirt for?"
Grazio's attorney says his client will fight the allegations.
An attorney for Carlos Melgar, one of the owners of the trucking companies, says a defense expert will prove the dirt is clean.
Prosecutors say illegal dumping saves the trucking companies thousands of dollars in fees associated with legally disposing of the waste in landfills in Pennsylvania and upstate New York.
The majority of the defendants were released after arraignment without having to post bail. Grazio is free on bond but has to wear a GPS monitor.