Corporate Espionage Pays, Until It Doesn’t TL;DR The Plan: Chinese tech firm Hytera Communications couldn’t innovate, so it executed a “blatant theft” of trade secrets from its main competitor, Motorola Solutions. The Heist: Hytera’s CEO personally orchestrated the poaching of…
Pallet Machinery Group: Selling Corrosive Toxins With A Straight Face TL;DR The Facts: From January 2019 to November 2021, Virginia-based Pallet Machinery Group, Inc. sold an unregistered pesticide called Woodlock Bio-Shield (WLBS) on at least 76 separate occasions, a direct…
YOUR HOSPITAL, THEIR DUMP: MERITUS HEALTH CAUGHT MISHANDLING HAZARDOUS WASTE TL;DR THE FACTS: On May 16, 2023, an EPA inspection found Meritus Health, a 300-bed hospital in Hagerstown, Maryland, in violation of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) for…
Poison for Profit in Denver TL;DR Armendariz, LLC, a Colorado renovation firm, was caught performing work on a pre-1978 Denver home without the legally required EPA lead-safe certification. The company failed to use a certified renovator, meaning untrained workers handled…
A Medical Facility, Asbestos, And a $1,951 Fine TL;DR The Corporation: Southeast Restoration Group of Georgia, Inc., a company hired to repair water damage. The Location: Augusta Plastic Surgery Center in Martinez, Georgia, a functioning medical facility. The Violation: The…
CAGED BY CONTRACT: ARDAGH GROUP’S WAR ON WORKER FREEDOM TL;DR Global packaging giant Ardagh Group forced hundreds of its skilled U.S. workers into broad non-compete agreements for over a decade. At least 700 employees, including engineers and glass production specialists,…
The Napleton Deception Machine TL;DR The Napleton Automotive Group, a massive multi-state car dealership chain, was forced into a $10 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the State of Illinois. The company was charged with systematically sneaking…
BP’s Ohio Refinery Caught Hiding Toxic Releases TL;DR BP Products and Ohio Refining Company’s facility in Oregon, Ohio released over 54,000 pounds of hazardous Hydrogen Sulfide and Sulfur Dioxide in two separate events. The corporation failed to “immediately notify” emergency…
TL;DR Between January 2020 and July 2021, Ohio-based Sciarappa Construction Company performed 12 renovations on homes built before 1978, known as “target housing” due to the high risk of lead-based paint. The company systematically violated federal law by failing to…
A River of Filth: How Swift Beef Polluted Nebraska Waters For Years TL;DR The Corporation: Swift Beef Company, a massive meat processing plant in Grand Island, Nebraska, which processes around 4,500 cattle per day. The Crime: For at least five…