Investigations

On June 14, 2022, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company, LLC (Great Lakes), was sentenced to a $1 million fine and a $125 special assessment. In June 2021, Great Lakes pleaded guilty to one count of violating the Clean Water Act. The investigation revealed that, in September 2016, Great Lakes discharged a harmful quantity of oil into a navigable water and adjoining shorelines, affecting natural resources in the United States. The spill took place on the edge of Bay Long, near Chenier Ronquille Barrier Island, Louisiana. Additionally, after Great Lakes pleaded guilty in the criminal case, it concluded a concurrent civil case with the victim pipeline company. As a result, Great Lakes paid the victim approximately $3.2 million in damages, and the company that Great Lakes employed paid the victim approximately $1.7 million in damages.

 

DOT-OIG conducted this investigation with the Environmental Protection Agency–Criminal Investigative Division and the Department of Commerce-OIG.