COLORADO MAN SENTENCED FOR CFC SMUGGLING

Release date: 05/18/2000

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FOR RELEASE: THURSDAY, MAY 18, 2000

COLORADO MAN SENTENCED FOR CFC SMUGGLING

On May 12, Kenneth L. McManus of Denver, Colo., was sentenced to nine months in prison and three years of supervised release for violating the Clean Air Act. McManus, who formerly operated an air conditioning business in Denver, previously admitted that he imported over one ton of R-12 refrigerant into the United States without the required import allowances. As a special condition of his sentence, the defendant may have no involvement with ozone-depleting substances. R-12 is a chloroflourocarbon (CFC) gas, and its importation into the United States is highly restricted. When released into the atmosphere, R-12 depletes the ozone layer which protects people from harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation such as sunburn, skin cancer and cataracts. The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division and the U.S. Customs Service and was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Houston, Texas.

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