Investigations

On September 9, 2020, a grand jury in the Western District of Wisconsin indicted Kevin Shibilski on multiple counts of wire fraud, conspiracy, failure to pay employment and income taxes, and storage and disposal of hazardous waste without a permit. Shibilski was the chief executive officer of 5R Processors, Ltd., a Wisconsin company that recycles electronic waste from corporate and institutional clients, as well as manufacturers participating in a manufacture-take-back program.

 

The indictment alleged that from March 2013 to September 2020, Shibilski illegally stored and disposed of hazardous broken and crushed glass from cathode ray tubes—a source of lead toxicity—at facilities in Wisconsin and Tennessee. 5R Processors also issued customers certificates certifying that the waste had been recycled in compliance with all regulations when it actually had been stored in the company’s warehouses.

 

DOT-OIG is conducting this investigation with the Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Internal Revenue Service, and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

 

Note: Indictments, informations, and criminal complaints are only accusations by the Government. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.