GOTEC Plus Sun, LLC, a Delaware-based auto parts manufacturer, was sentenced on April 17 to pay a $275,000 fine and serve one year of probation after pleading guilty to illegal storage of hazardous waste at its Williamstown, Kentucky facility. The company's former General Manager, Natalie Fehse, received five years of probation with ten months of home confinement and a $5,000 fine for her role in the violations.
The case highlights the dangers posed by improper handling of hazardous materials in industrial settings. Authorities said that storing hundreds of containers filled with flammable and toxic solvents without proper permits endangered workers, emergency responders, and the public.
According to court documents, an inspection by the Kentucky Department of Environmental Protection on June 27, 2024 found semi-trailers, shipping containers, and an abandoned warehouse at GOTEC’s plant containing 249 drums—each holding 55 gallons—of hazardous waste along with about 27 cubic yards stored in various other containers. GOTEC admitted it had failed to properly dispose of this waste from January 2022 through November 2024 due to staffing shortages and reduced revenue during the COVID shutdown period.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson said: “The illegal accumulation and storage of hundreds of containers of hazardous waste at GOTEC posed a substantial danger to plant workers, emergency responders, and the general public. This prosecution sends the message that hazardous waste generators must properly handle hazardous wastes or potentially face felony prosecution for their illegal conduct.”
Jason Parman, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky said: “Unpermitted storage of hazardous waste that endangers Kentuckians will not be tolerated. I want to commend the collaborative efforts of the Kentucky Department of Environmental Protection and EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division on the investigation...which averted a potential disaster.”
EPA’s Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Jeffrey A. Hall added: “Companies that cut corners by accumulating hazardous wastes—such as the hundreds of drums...hidden around the site in this case—rather than disposing them properly endanger communities...Such dangerous neglect is precisely what the law forbids.”
Several early U.S. Attorneys for this district held prominent positions such as serving on the U.S. Supreme Court or as governor according to its official website. The office enforces federal laws including criminal prosecutions according to its official website while addressing issues like drug abuse prevention through community initiatives according to its official website. It operates under guidance from the U.S. Department of Justice according to its official website.
Looking forward, officials say they will continue working with state agencies such as EPA's Criminal Investigation Division and local partners on environmental safety cases affecting eastern Kentucky communities.
