Department of Justice Seal Department of Justice
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FRIDAY, MAY 16, 2003
WWW.USDOJ.GOV
ENRD
(202) 514-2007
TDD (202) 514-1888

GLENCOE, ALABAMA MAN CHARGED WITH SELLING CITIES
COUNTERFEIT AND ADULTERATED PESTICIDES IS ARRESTED


WASHINGTON, D.C. - Thomas L. Sansonetti, Assistant Attorney General for the Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division and Alice H. Martin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, today announced that a federal grand jury has returned an indictment against William C. Murphy of Glencoe, Alabama who was arrested by federal authorities on Thursday evening, May 15, 2003, and appeared in United States District Court this morning in Birmingham, Alabama.

The indictment charges that William C. Murphy, operating under the name Sierra Chemical, sold counterfeit, misbranded, adulterated, and mislabeled pesticides to numerous municipalities in Alabama and Georgia. It alleges that defendant William C. Murphy advertised for sale and sold to customers pesticides that were not registered with the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, as is required by law, that he fraudulently represented pesticides he sold to be brand name products, and falsely labeled them as containing active ingredients that either they did not contain or that they contained in concentrations different than he claimed.

United States Attorney Martin cautioned cities that spray mosquitos to control West Nile virus to insure that the pesticides they buy are authentic and are being marketed by legitimate manufactures and dealers.

Members of the public are reminded that the indictment contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government's burden to prove a defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

Assistant United States Attorney Robert O. Posey and Department of Justice Environmental Crimes Section, Senior Trial Attorney Jeremy Korzenik are prosecuting the case. David G. McLeod, Resident Agent in Charge, EPA, Criminal Investigation Division, and Carmen S. Adams, Special Agent in Charge, FBI are investigating the case along with other special agents of the EPA and the FBI.

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