KENNEDY MINT PLEADS GUILTY TO KILLING FISH

The saga of the Rocky River fish kill is finally over.

In U.S. District Court May 23, Strongsville-based Kennedy Mint and 74-year-old Teresina Montorsi, of Grafton, pleaded guilty to their roles in dumping 55 gallons of cyanide down a storm drain that led to the death of more than 30,000 fish in a 3-mile stretch of the river that included Strongsville, said U.S. Attorney Steve Dettelbach.

The business pleaded guilty to one count of violation of the U.S. Clean Water Act, and Montorsi to one count of obstruction of justice.

“Clean, fresh water is Ohio’s greatest natural resource,” Dettelbach said. “We are satisfied that we were able to determine who put the cyanide into the river and killed tens of thousands of fish. The restitution from this case will be used to restock the river with fish, so that people can again enjoy the natural beauty of the Rocky River.”

Kennedy Mint agreed to pay restitution of $30,893, or $1 for every fish killed, the release said. The money will be paid to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and used to restock the river with steelhead trout under the terms of the plea agreement. Kennedy Mint will also make a payment to the Cleveland Metroparks. The amount will be determined at sentencing, which is scheduled for Aug. 29.

The Montorsis and Kennedy Mint, which sells collector's coins, were indicted by a grand jury Oct. 10 for dumping 55 gallons of liquid cyanide down a storm drain in their business' parking lot, and then subsequently trying to hide their involvement from investigators, the indictment alleges.

The indictment said Renato Montorsi and two employees attempted to dispose of two 55-gallon barrels of liquid cyanide into a dumpster outside of Kennedy Mint on April 16, and then emptying one of them into a storm drain by puncturing the drum with a hammer and sharp tool when the waste company did not take the drums.

When investigators asked to search the business, Teresina Montorsi stalled them while Renato Montorsi hid the drum in the warehouse, according to the indictment. On April 22 - four days after the alleged dumping - first reports of the dead fish surfaced, according the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. The organization counted a total of 30,893 dead fish a three-mile stretch of the Rocky River in Strongsville's Mill Stream Run Reservation.

To read the complete article, see: Strongsville business, Grafton woman plead guilty to Rocky River fish kill charges (www.cleveland.com/strongsville/index.ssf/2013/05/
parties_in_rocky_river_fish_ki.html)

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