Locust Grove couple pleads guilty to illegally burying hazardous waste

ATLANTA – A Locust Grove couple last week pleaded guilty to illegally burying hazardous waste.

John and Jennifer Duffey, both 38, face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, according to federal prosecutors. The two are scheduled to be sentenced March 4.

Prosecutors alleged the Duffeys ran Joint Military Development Services – a company that ran military training exercises. According to prosecutors, the Duffeys asked employees to illegally bury napthalene – a federally-listed hazardous material.

In addition to pleading to illegally burying hazardous waste, John Duffey also pleaded to obstructing a witness.

“The defendants not only engaged in a conspiracy to illegally dispose of naphthalene – exposure to which can cause liver and neurological damage – but also tried to cover up their crime,” Maureen O’Mara, special agent in charge of EPA’s Criminal Enforcement office in Atlanta, said in a news release. “Those who ‘cut corners’ and put the public or the environment at risk will be prosecuted.”