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Sabine chairman sentenced (4/6)

The U.S. Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency have issued the following news release concerning the sentencing of the chairman and owner of Sabine Transportation Company. The full release, dated April 1, appears below and also is available on the Department of Justice web site here CHAIRMAN OF SHIPPING LINE SENTENCED FOR ILLEGAL DUMPING OF WASTE OIL FROM TANKER WASHINGTON, D.C.-The Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced that Rick Dean Stickle, the Chairman and owner of Sabine Transportation Company, was sentenced today to 33 months in prison. The sentence was imposed today by U.S. District Court Judge Alan S. Gold in Miami, Florida. A jury found Stickle guilty of the two counts in the indictment after a five week trial in November. Stickle was convicted of ordering the illegal dumping of 440 tons of oil-contaminated grain into the ocean from the SS Juneau, a Sabine tanker, and of obstruction of an investigation conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard and Department of Agriculture. Judge Gold also imposed a $60,000 criminal fine. “The Justice Department is taking serious action against companies and individuals who purposefully violate our marine pollution laws,” said Thomas L. Sansonetti, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “Disrespect for our nation’s laws that protect our marine resources will not be tolerated.” “The oceans cannot be used as dumping grounds," said Thomas V. Skinner, EPA Acting Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. "Today’s sentence signals that senior officials will be vigorously prosecuted for their company’s violations.” Sabine Transportation, headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, previously pleaded guilty to violations of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships and paid a $2 million criminal fine. Stickle was the chairman of Sabine and was the ultimate owner of all of the company’s ships and approximately a dozen related companies. Four others have been convicted in related prosecutions, including Michael R. Reeve, a former president of Sabine; Michael M. Krider, a former shore-side supervisory marine superintendent; Captain George K. McKay; and Chief Officer Philip J. Hitchens. “Those who abuse our resources to make a profit are on notice,” said Marcos Daniel Jiménez, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. “Our office is committed to holding accountable not only unscrupulous companies, but also their principals as well.” “The Coast Guard is very proud of the United States Government's success in bringing this case to justice for environmental crimes related to the SS Juneau,” said Rear Admiral Thomas Gilmour, US Coast Guard Assistant Commandant for Marine Safety, Security and Environmental Protection. “Shoreside executives who give orders to pollute the marine environment or impede investigations will continue to be held accountable even if their desks are many thousands of miles away from the scene of the crime,” added Gilmour. A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov. ###