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Michel Osei, 48, of Hanover, pleaded guilty to 17 environmental crimes after abandoning a scrap tire operation in Westernport that investigators in Maryland say violated nearly every regulation on the books.
The fallout resulted in Osei receiving five years of incarceration, with all but 45 days suspended, along with five years of probation.
Investigators from the Maryland Attorney's General's Office say that in June 2021, Osei approached the Allegany County Office of Economic Development with a proposal to operate a scrap tire recycling facility.
As part of his pitch, Osei claimed the facility would employ at least 50 people and already had millions of dollars of contracts to send the recycled tires overseas.
The county offered a land-lease with favorable terms for an industrial parcel bordering the Potomac River at 23302 Westernport Road SW in Westernport and operations began in July 2021.
Osei and his employees would go on to collect over 100,000 scrap tires from various locations in West Virgina that were taken to the Maryland facility, according to the AG's Office; however, "few, if any, tires were ever removed."
The site was flagged by inspectors in October 2021, where they discovered piles of tires left uncovered, posing a significant fire risk.
According to prosecutors, The property had no permits, and the tires were stored outside and uncovered, in piles that posed a significant fire hazard.
Osei’s troubles began when the Maryland Department of the Environment and the State Fire Marshal’s Office stepped in.
Despite multiple orders to cease operations, Osei continued until he abandoned the site, leaving the county to clean up his mess.
By the time Osei walked away in September 2022, more than 250,000 tires were strewn across the property and packed into trailers, authorities said.
Osei was also ordered to pay $250,000 in restitution to Allegany County and a $300,000 fine to the Maryland Clean Water Fund, both of which were also suspended.
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