Former American Biodiesel employee pleads guilty to unlawful discharge of industrial wastewater

In California, Jeremiah Young, 38, of El Dorado, pleaded guilty to unlawful discharge of industrial wastewater, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

Young was an assistant operator for Community Fuels from 2014 to 2016. Community Fuels is registered in San Joaquin County by American Biodiesel Inc. and manufactured biodiesel fuel on property leased from the Port of Stockton

According to court documents, Young participated in a scheme to discharge hundreds of thousands of gallons of polluted wastewater by various unlawful means, including the discharge of wastewater directly into Stockton’s sewer system after tampering with pH readings. Young also caused a discharge on a different date by using an improvised hose system into a floor drain that led to the city’s sewer system.

Young’s older brother and co-defendant, Christopher Young, 41, of El Dorado Hills, was charged with conspiracy, 12 counts of tampering with monitoring equipment, two counts of unlawful discharge of industrial wastewater, one count of false statements, and one count of witness tampering. Christopher Young was the Director of Operations at the Stockton plant. The charges against him are pending; he is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.