WENATCHEE, Wash. (Legal Newsline) — Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced Dec. 29 that his office has filed charges against Timothy Powell and his business A1 Asbestos LLC, for allegations of providing false asbestos waste shipment records to an Okanogan County landfill.
Additional charges include signature forgery on one of the documents and offering false statements to the Department of Labor and Industries. According to Ferguson’s office, Powell and A1 Asbestos lied about the start dates of asbestos abatement work in an attempt to circumvent worksite safety inspections.
Disposing of asbestos waste costs more than disposing of general construction waste. By allegedly falsifying documents, Powell was able to avoid some of the costs of asbestos disposal, Ferguson said.
“Strict rules governing the disposal of asbestos waste exist to protect workers and the public, and they must be followed,” Ferguson said.
Assistant attorney general Josh Choate is handling the case for the state and Ferguson’s office is working at the behest of the Chelan County Prosecutor’s Office.
Ferguson regards protecting the environment as a major priority. Since 2013, he has secured more than $900,000 in restitution orders from environmental cases.