The company will permanently close a South Los Angeles recycling plant, accused of spraying toxic waste and metal projectiles onto the ground at Jordan High School, according to a plea agreement agreed in court Tuesday by the owner of the plant.
Matthew and Gary Weisenberg - owner of S&W Atlas Iron & Metal, one of the city's oldest metal recycling facilities, each pleaded guilty to three counts of illegal disposal of hazardous waste and public nuisance. The company has not competed for five felony counts of failing to properly handle hazardous waste.
In addition to the closure, the company and its owners will pay a fine of about $150,000. They will also owe $1 million in damages to the Unified School District of Los Angeles and pay an additional $850,000 to the District Attorney’s Office, which will be distributed between government agencies and Watts community organizations.
The father and son will serve 200 hours of community service and two years of probation. They also have to stop operations of recycling materials processing facilities. Under the terms set out in the court, Weisenbergs maintains the right to operate a business on the land it owns, but cannot involve metal processing or recycling.
If Weisenbergs wish to sell their land, school districts and cities will have the right to refuse to buy the parcel in the first place.
Los Angeles County. Atti. Nathan Hochman was in court Tuesday morning and held a press conference at Jordan High School in late afternoon. He took the opportunity to warn "environmental criminals" and said: "Please be aware and inform us of what happened today."
"They are polluting the land, the sea, the rivers and the air," Hawkman said. "Recently, environmental criminals think they'll be fined here and there - it's business. But, they're putting their feet on the fire today."
agent. Atti. Benjamin Wright, who works for the lawsuit, said outside the court: "We are very happy with the plea agreement. The facility has been in operation for a long time. There are many instances of shrapnel flying to school property. It's very dangerous for students, not to mention all the dangerous waste."
Weisenbergs' lawyers Benjamin Gluck and Vicki Podberesky have previously denied all misconduct from clients.
"While Atlas agrees to close its recycling operations, this decision reflects the growing land use along the Alameda Corridor," Gluck wrote in a statement in The Times. "Our clients hope that the outcome of the case and the financial contributions made by Atlas will help support the Watts community."
Los Angeles prosecutors first charged Weisenberg with nearly twenty-two charges for failing to properly dispose of waste in 2023, after years of charges collected by community activists and school officials, saying the metal plants brought poison to students. Prosecutors alleged that the plant had exposed several explosions, metal projectiles and potential customer levels at Jordanian high school, at a level of 75 times that of federal regulator DEEM SAFE.
The pressure on the owners of the factory increased last year after Atlas exploded Watts students on the first day of school.
As a result, the judge forbidden the factory from accepting certain types of cans that could be blown up, warning Wesenberg that their bail would be revoked if they did not comply. In March, an investigation by the state Department of Toxic Substances found that acetylene is a container of highly flammable gas on the ground of the factory. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Terry Bork briefly imprisoned Weisenbergs, and the plant was closed for failing to comply a few days later.
Community organizers and activists have been working to shut down the factory for more than 20 years.
this US Environmental Protection Agency The company was previously ordered to upgrade its systems to prevent chemical washing from entering the stormwater drainage and entering campuses. Previous soil samples reported in high school also showed high concentrations of lead and zinc.