MADISON, Wis. — Prosecutors have brought charges against a Texas roofing company over work done at a Wisconsin prison, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday.
Brazos Urethane, Inc., based in the Houston, Texas suburb of Texas City, is charged with conspiracy to defraud the U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons. As part of a deferred prosecution agreement filed Wednesday, the charge will be dropped after Brazos pays a $300,000 fine and completes a three-year corporate compliance program.
The charge dates back to 2014, when Brazos agreed to a nearly $4 million with the Federal Bureau of Prisons to replace roofs at the Oxford Federal Correctional Institution.
The project included asbestos abatement, and as part of the contract Brazos agreed to properly dispose of any hazardous waste and get necessary permits from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Prosecutors alleged that Brazos dumped roofing waste from the prison worksite onto a property that the company had purchased near the prison. The company allegedly concealed the illegal dumping and lied about cleanup efforts.