NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced that her office secured $100,000 from Salvatore Cascino, a former Bronx business owner, and his materials processing company, Ten Mile River, LLC (Ten Mile River), for illegally dumping waste in Dutchess County. Cascino used his property along the Ten Mile River to dump waste, including in and around sensitive freshwater wetlands. In 2019, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) reached a court-approved settlement requiring Cascino to clean up the illegal landfill and restore the wetlands; however, a 2024 DEC inspection revealed that Cascino had failed to follow through. Now, Dutchess County Supreme Court Judge Christi Acker has ordered Cascino to fully clean up the site, fix the environmental damage, and pay a $100,000 penalty, plus another $99,200 if he fails to complete the cleanup on schedule.
“Salvatore Cascino and his company broke the law and harmed some of our state’s most valuable natural areas,” said Attorney General James. “After years of profiting off illegal dumping and abuse of natural resources, today, we are holding him accountable. I am grateful to Commissioner Lefton and DEC for their collaboration, and together, we will continue to champion environmental protection and safeguard New York’s natural resources.”
“Illegal dumping in wetland areas can damage the environment long after the dumping occurs,” said DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton. “DEC’s thorough investigation and the joint enforcement action with Attorney General James resulted in holding this repeat violator accountable and sends a strong message that New York state’s natural spaces are not a dumping ground for illegal waste disposal.”
Freshwater wetlands throughout New York play a crucial role in controlling flooding and providing valuable habitats for a diverse array of wildlife, among other benefits. To protect these wetlands and surrounding areas, the New York Freshwater Wetlands Act prohibits removing trees and vegetation, placing fill, or building commercial facilities on designated wetlands and adjacent “buffer” areas without a permit from DEC.
The OAG reached a settlement with Cascino in 2019, after previously suing him for violating state laws on waste disposal and wetland protection. As part of the settlement, he was required to submit a cleanup plan, approved by DEC, that included removing the waste from the wetland, covering other waste at the site with a cap, and restoring the wetlands with native plants. That plan was approved in 2022. However, a site inspection in 2024 showed that almost none of the required work had been done. In response, OAG sent Cascino a formal violation notice and demanded that cleanup begin immediately under DEC’s supervision.
This month, OAG and Cascino reached an agreement to resolve these violations, and the agreement has now been approved by the court. The agreement requires Cascino and his company to:
This matter was handled for OAG by Senior Enforcement Counsel Andrew J. Gershon and Assistant Attorney General Max Shterngel under the supervision of Environmental Protection Bureau Chief Lemuel Srolovic. The Environmental Protection Bureau is a part of the Division for Social Justice, which is led by Chief Deputy Attorney General Meghan Faux and overseen by First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy.