Markenzy Lapointe U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida
A Florida woman has admitted to violating the Clean Water Act by discharging oil into U.S. waters. Liza R. Hash, 48, from Inglis, Florida, owned and operated the S/V JULIET, a sailing vessel used for scuba diving trips between Miami and the Bahamas.
On June 16, 2023, officers from the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Miami boarded the S/V JULIET after detecting an oil sheen from the vessel. Their investigation revealed that Hash had been using a bilge pump to transfer oily waste into a grey water tank designed for non-oily liquids before discharging it untreated into U.S. waters.
The court heard that over five years of operation, approximately 26,000 gallons of oily water were illegally discharged. These wastes should have been disposed of at proper facilities onshore.
United States District Judge Rodolfo A. Ruiz II has scheduled sentencing for May 21, 2025. Hash could face up to three years in prison and fines up to $250,000.
The guilty plea was announced by Hayden P. O’Byrne, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, alongside Kristopher Martel from the Environmental Protection Agency’s criminal enforcement program in Florida.
O’Byrne praised the efforts of various agencies involved in investigating this case. Assistant United States Attorney Thomas Watts-FitzGerald is handling prosecution duties.
Further details can be accessed on official websites provided by both the United States Attorney’s Office and District Court for Southern Florida under case number 25-cr-20007.
