BASEL
ACTION
NETWORK
ARTICLE
SUMMARY
The proliferation of electronic
devices during the 1990s
created a hazardous
waste epidemic within the
United States. In 1997, a 501(c)3
charitable organization formed
to combat the growing public
health threat of hazardous
electronics waste pollution.
Over nearly 20 years, Basel
Action Network (BAN) has
emerged as the only charitable
organization that provides
electronic waste information for
scholars and journalists. The
organization expanded its roles
in identifying polluters by
presenting information in public
forums, including on the BAN
website. On its website, BAN
recently disclosed news that
concerns the indictment of an
electronics recycling firm
executive for criminal trafficking.
http://www.allgreenrecycling.com
E-World Executive Focus of
US Government Criminal
Investigation
Records unsealed from the
Federal District Court in San Diego
confirm the indictment of E-World
Recyclers CEO, Robert Erie. Mr.
Erie’s indictment, which the
government issued in late
December of 2014, included the
charges of perjury, falsifying
business records, and trafficking
counterfeit goods. Erie presented
the court a guilty plea, with the
case still pending before the
federal bench as of June 2015. EWorld plays an integral role in the
hazardous electronics waste
disposal industry, with customers
for the company including Sony,
FedEx, Hitachi, and Samsung.
http://www.allgreenrecycling.com
http://www.allgreenrecycling.com
Details of the Indictment
The United States government charged E-World
for concealing the storage of imitation consumer
electronics products that the company was hired
to destroy. Federal charges claim that beginning
in late 2009, E-World received 38 shipments of
counterfeit designer electronics, such as
headphones and smart watches. Under a
contract signed with Cycle Chem, Incorporated,
E-World had the legal obligation to destroy the
counterfeit electronics. However, as the
Department of Homeland Security and Customs
and Border Protection Agency discovered, an EWorld employee hid all of the counterfeit
electronics at a neighbor’s home and private
storage facility. Mr. Erie then attempted to sell the
fake electronics products, most of which the
indictment claims sold under well-known brand
names. The United States government also
charged Mr. Erie with presenting false reports that
detailed the destruction of the counterfeit goods.
BAN Reacts to E-World
Indictment
After the indictment, BAN’s Executive
Director, Jim Puckett, issued a
statement that emphasized the
continuing problem of corruption within
the electronics recycling industry. “The
electronics recycling industry continues
to be engulfed in scandal after
scandal, which has involved unethical
exportation, dumping, or
abandonment of hazardous materials
and exposure of private data,” said
Puckett. “And now we see yet another
example of corporate malfeasance by
one of the recycling industry’s leading
actors and this time we are talking
about blatant criminal fraud. I think the
lesson here is to use only electronics
recyclers employing the most
accountable certification programs
and to back it up with your own due
diligence.”
http://www.allgreenrecycling.com
• In response to the growing number of egregious
electronics recycling incidents, BAN unveiled the
e-Stewards Certification program to promote
electronics recyclers that follow strict government
mandated electronics recycling guidelines. BAN
removes any organization that violates the proper
methods for recycling hazardous electronics
components, as well as mishandles the destruction
of private data.
• The implications of the E-World indictment include
the possible loss of business with the company’s
high-profile clients. Erie faces felony charges that
potentially include a maximum of 10 years in a
federal prison and a fine that approaches $2
million. The next court date on June 29 should set
the date for the federal trial.
http://www.allgreenrecycling.com
Questions?
Comments?
Website:
http://www.allgreenrecycling.com/
All Green Recycling
[email protected]
(800) 780-0347
Resources:
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2012
/04/how-to-recycle-old-electronicsdevices/index.htm
http://www.electronicstakeback.com/howto-recycle-electronics/