NIAGARA FALLS, NEW YORK — A 65-year-old logistics company vice president has pleaded guilty to making a false statement to federal investigators after lying about his knowledge of a massive pile of expired hand sanitizer dumped outside a Niagara Falls warehouse property — a pile that measured 73 feet long, 24 feet wide, and five feet high and was classified as hazardous waste.
Michael J. Hale of Lockport pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara. At the time of the incident Hale was Vice President of Regional Logistics Group LLC, a warehousing business operating out of 3800 Highland Avenue in Niagara Falls.
The EPA executed a search warrant at the property in December 2023 following an October 2023 tip from a community member about a large quantity of hand sanitizer dumped outside. Agents found the enormous pile of expired sanitizer on the grounds. Samples confirmed the material was ignitable, classifying it as hazardous waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
When investigators called Hale during the search and asked how the hand sanitizer got there, he said he had no idea and didn’t know when it had been brought to the property. In reality, Hale knew the material had been dumped there and had originally been brought to the site between January and May of 2022.
Hale faces a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for December 22, 2026.
The case was investigated by the EPA Criminal Investigation Division and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango.
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