Newport Beach man gets five months in hazardous waste case

A Newport Beach man has been sentenced to five months in prison for aiding in the disposal of hazardous waste without a permit.

William Michael Manclark, 51, pleaded guilty to one felony count of aiding and abetting others in knowingly making false material statements to the Environmental Protection Agency, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

In addition to prison time, Manclark will spend five months in home confinement, followed by a year of supervised release. He has also been ordered to pay a $250,000 fine.

The ruling comes after his former company, Costa Mesa-based Leading Edge Aviation Services Inc., admitted guilt to treating, storing or disposing of hazardous waste without a permit at its now-shuttered Greenville, Miss., facility until 2013, according to the news release from the Justice Department.

Manclark was the president and sole shareholder of the Leading Edge at the time.

“The type of paints and solvents used by the defendant’s company are especially hazardous and can put public health at risk if not handled and disposed of properly,” Andy Castro, acting special agent in charge of the EPA’s criminal enforcement program in Mississippi, said in a news release.

Leading Edge was ordered to pay $1 million in penalties, according to the news release.

The Environmental Protection Agency, Criminal Investigation Division and the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality investigated the case.

A Leading Edge representative denied the Daily Pilot’s request for comment.