The owner of a company that was charged by the Attorney General’s office with dumping chemicals and cleaning products into a storm drain near Bowmanstown entered a guilty plea on Thursday afternoon in Carbon County court and is facing a prison term at the time of sentencing.

Seyedahmad Ziabari, 61, of Nazareth, and his company, Plastic World Recycling Inc. of Bowmanstown, were charged in 2020 by the AG’s office.

At the time of the filing of the charges, Attorney General Josh Shapiro said, “Pennsylvanians have a right to clean air and pure water. Today, we charged Plastic World Recycling for dumping an outrageous amount of cleaning agents into a Carbon County creek that people rely on for trout fishing.”

Ziabari pleaded to four counts of violation of rules/regulations to protect water supply, a felony 3; and misdemeanor 3 counts of disturbing waterways or watersheds; allowing substances be deposit which will poison fish, and unlawful conduct. In exchange for the plea, the commonwealth agreed to drop two other felony 3 counts.

On May 28, 2018, witnesses saw employees of Plastic World Recycling pouring drums of a white chemical on a loading dock which then flowed to a storm drain connected to the Fireline Creek in Carbon County. Witnesses also observed that Fireline Creek had a white, frothy appearance.

Several witnesses reported smelling an acidic odor in the area of the stormwater drain inlet, according to Shapiro.

One witness estimated that 300 drums of cleaning chemicals were dumped by Plastic World Recycling employees. When employees were asked why they had dumped the cleaning agents into the water, they responded that they had been instructed to do so by the owner, Ziabari, of Plastic Waste Recycling, and that they were only “doing what (they were) told to do.”

The company was charged with disturbance of waterways and watersheds, pollution of waters, industrial waste discharge, and related charges.

The case is being prosecuted by Senior Deputy Attorney General Brian Coffey of the Environmental Crimes Section. The investigation was the result of a referral from the Carbon County District Attorney.

Coffey said Thursday that part of the plea agreement is that at time of sentencing Ziabari receive a prison term of 11½ to 23 months along with fines to be imposed.

Once Ziabari is sentenced, the commonwealth will drop the pending charges against Plastic World Recycling. The term is in the mitigated range of state sentencing guidelines that recommend a minimum prison term of between 12 and 18 months be imposed.

Judge Joseph J. Matika accepted the pleas and deferred sentencing. Ziabari’s attorney, Bohdan J. Zelechiwsky, said his client wants to apply for the house arrest program. Coffey noted that the commonwealth will oppose that at the time of sentencing.

Also part of the deal, if the prison term is imposed, Ziabari will be granted work-release privileges.

Sentencing is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Sept. 14.