CHATSWORTH : Man Gets 8-Year Term for Export of Toxic Waste
A Reno man who owned and operated a Chatsworth laboratory was sentenced to eight years in a federal prison Monday for his role in a complicated scheme to transport chemical waste to Pakistan.
Tariq Ahmad, 33, was convicted in April of money laundering and violating the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. He and co-defendant Rafat Asrar, 38, of Irvine also were convicted of arson, conspiracy to commit arson, mail fraud and perjury.
Prosecutors said Ahmad, owner of Shankman Laboratories, tried to save about $80,000 in disposal fees by shipping the waste to Pakistan, where it was to be dumped down mine shafts owned by his family.
The waste--which included arsenic, cyanide and mercury--was seized at a Dubai port and returned to Los Angeles, where it was disposed of by the Environmental Protection Agency.
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