By Mary Drier (Contact / Staff Bio)
April 11, 2009 - 02:22 p.m. EST

BAD AXE — Municipalities in the Thumb that were hoodwinked out of the money they paid to World Waste Inc. for recycling that wasn’t done should receive some compensation soon.

The former owners of the refuse company, Dominic and Sharon Campo, are accused of charging various municipalities for recycling services. But, instead of being recycled, waste items were dumped in the landfill in Huron County’s Sheridan Township.

Under the Campos’ ownership of the waste company, municipalities were paying for a service they didn’t receive, explained Huron County Prosecutor Timothy Rutkowski.

Initially, several charges were filed against the Dryden couple. But on the second day of the trial, they pleaded no contest to “conspiring to commit a legal act in an illegal manner.” That is a felony that’s punishable by up to five years in prison.

“They will also pay $260,000 in restitution that will be divvied up between Huron County and Tuscola County to those who were paying for recycling,” said Rutkowski. “Plus, included in that are two $5,000 grants for recycling education from the Huron County EDC (Economic Development Corporation) to be paid back.”

The Campos bought the landfill in 2000, and sold it in 2004 when they started having financial and legal problems.

They ran into issues with the Department of Environmental Quality in 2003 for some violations, and were subsequently fined $80,000.

To help offset expense, a deal was negotiated for the company to do tire recycling. However, the signatures on those agreements allegedly didn’t match those who were supposed to have signed them, and the DEQ started investigating again.

DEQs Detective Sergeant Tom Wassa, who used to be the Fairgrove Village Police Chief, headed the investigation, and subsequently the state’s attorney general’s office was called in.

“It was a long and complicated case that took a lot of time,” said Wassa.

If the case had gone to trial, it was expected to take three to four weeks with 100 witnesses called.

Accepting the lesser plea was a difficult decision for the prosecutor, especially after all of the work over the years and getting ready for the trial.

“Justice required a candid evaluation of the facts and circumstances of the case. It had gone on for 5-6 years and some of the key witnesses had moved away, and memories fade,” said Rutkowski.

Plus, the attorney general’s office gave immunity to a key person involved in the case.

“All these factors were considered and weighed with the goal of holding the defendants accountable and getting restitution to municipalities for their financial losses,” Rutkowski said. “It’s been my position first that our municipalities who lost money through the defendants’ actions be made whole through restitution.

“Second, the defendants be held accountable with a felony conviction, and the plea agreement accomplished both.”

The frauded municipalities are expected to receive about 80 percent of the amount they paid for the recycling service they didn’t receive.

“From what I can remember, those (frauded) in Tuscola County are Caro, Reese, Vassar, Cass City, Indianfields Township, and Akron just came forward saying they are owed $800,” said Rutkowski, noting that although World Waste has recycling contracts in other counties, there is no evidence of wrongdoing there.

The Campos are scheduled for sentencing Monday, June 8.

“This is only the criminal part of the case,” said Rutkowski. “There is still a potential for civil liability if those jurisdictions want to sue.”