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1/14/2026
WT Staff
 Do you have knowledge of an environmental crime? Give us a call at 877-52-WATER (877-529-2837), or email info@wtla.us
Wednesday Jan 14, 2026, 241 pm CST
CWA CrimeBox
Environmental Crimes Historic Conviction: Fiscal Year 2012; Case ID# CR_2344 (Mississippi)
Water Plant Operator sentenced to home confinement for faking drinking water lab test results, filing false wastewater discharge reports
One of 867 Criminal Prosecutions under the Clean Water Act in USA (from 1989-2024)
(The Defendant)chose to ignore laws that ensure water quality and protect the safety of the water we drink in Mississippi. The government relies on accurate analytical reports to demonstrate that water is safe to drink. (The defendant's) actions threatened water quality and drinking water safety. Her prosecution and plea should send a clear message to anyone contemplating personal gain at public safety's expense: you will be prosecuted."
-EPA Special Agent O'Mara
The defendant in this case managed and operated several publicly-owned drinking water treatment plants and wastewater treatment plants in Northern Mississippi. In late 2011, the defendant was charged with a single count, felony violation of the Clean Water Act, "knowingly violates", along with one count of making false statements. The defendant plead guilty to both charges.
According to Special Agent O'Mara of the US EPA, "When drinking water quality is compromised, human health is adversely impacted." By the time Federal District Court received the bill of information on these charges, it was clear the Court's response had to deter others from repeating the offense.
A 38 year old woman from Derma had concocted and submitted three illegitimate Discharge Monitoring Reports for the wastewater plants she managed. Further, the defendant had submitted false laboratory test results for the public drinking water treatment facilities she supervised, for eight quarterly monitoring periods.
Sentencing in this case was handed down by Chief United States District Judge Michael P. Mills, in Oxford, Mississippi. The defendant was confined to home for six months. Restitution payments in the order of an annual salary were ordered to settle damages at three facilities. The defendant would be monitored for the next five years, supervised by an official of the court.
The defendant had previously admitted to failing to maintain records, failing to report and failing to properly sample and analyze effluent discharges, as required under the Clean Water Act. The fraud and risk to public health and safety went on for at least two years.
Home Confinement: 6 months; Restitution: $34,900; Special Assessment Fee: $200; Probation: 60 months
See last week's CrimeBox, "National Wildlife Refuge impacted by industrial waste dumping in Mississippi", here.
CWA CrimeBox briefs are compiled from EPA Criminal Enforcement records.
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