A former Fairfield official who was sentenced to several years in prison in connection with the illegal dumping of hazardous materials next to the town's public works garage has pleaded guilty to additional charges, according to the Division of Criminal Justice.
Former Fairfield Public Works Superintendent Scott Bartlett, 61, of Fairfield, has pleaded guilty to nine felony environmental and fraud offenses, officials said.
Fairfield police started an investigation into the dumping in 2017 and arrested several town officials in July 2019.
The charges were related to a nearly three-acre site containing PCBs, lead and other hazardous materials, Fairfield police said.
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Investigators said the town hired a company in 2016 to clean up the site and construct a berm around it to prevent adjacent properties from becoming contaminated. Instead, police said, the company and town officials conspired to bury contaminated materials into the berm.
Town officials estimated cleaning up of the site would cost $5 million to $10 million.
Under Bartlett’s plea agreement, he admitted that he and other town officials participated in a pattern of activities that included a conspiracy between themselves and a contractor they hired to operate part of the DPW property, according to the Division of Criminal Justice.
Officials said Bartlett entered guilty pleas to charges of:
- Larceny in the First Degree
- Illegal Disposal of Polychlorinated Biphenyls
- Disruption of a Solid Waste Disposal Area
- Conspiracy to Commit Receiving Solid Waste at an Unpermitted Facility, Illegal Disposal of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), Discharging Materials Into the Waters of Connecticut Without a Permit, Larceny in the First Degree, Operating a Solid Waste Facility Without a Permit and Disruption of a Solid Waste Disposal Area.
Officials said Joseph Michelangelo, the former Fairfield Director of Public Works, pleaded guilty on Nov. 7 to nine felony environmental and fraud offenses and is awaiting sentencing in Bridgeport Superior Court.
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Bartlett is scheduled for sentencing on Nov. 15.
Under the plea agreement, Bartlett faces up to 15 years' incarceration, execution suspended after five years served, and five years of probation. The plea agreement also requires him to make restitution payments to the Town of Fairfield for the harm caused.
In July, Bartlett was sentenced to four years in prison, suspended after 18 months served, and three years of probation. He was also ordered to pay restitution for costs the town incurred for the remediation of contaminated sites.
