Maryland Man Sentenced for Illegal Tire Dumping

Michel Osei, 48, of Hanover, Maryland, has been sentenced for illegally dumping over 250,000 scrap tires in Allegany County after pleading guilty to 17 environmental crimes, including unlawful disposal and operating a scrap tire facility without a license. Initially proposing a legitimate recycling business with the potential to employ 50 people, Osei failed to remove the collected tires, leading to serious fire hazards and multiple cease operations orders from state environmental and fire officials. Osei abandoned the site in September 2022, leaving the county to manage the cleanup. He received a five-year prison sentence with all but 45 days suspended, five years of probation, and was ordered to pay $250,000 in restitution to the Allegany County Commissioners, alongside fines for environmental violations. The Maryland Department of the Environment and the Office of the State Fire Marshal were heavily involved in the investigation that led to these charges. Allegany County has since commenced efforts to mitigate the environmental impact of the abandoned site.