Barry Himes, John Mucha and Richard Pelletier pled guilty today to conspiring to smuggle CFCs into the U.S. by means of false statements to U.S. Customs and the EPA, and to defrauding the IRS in its attempts to collect excise and income taxes on proceeds from the sale of the contraband.

The three individuals attempted to import over 660 tons of CFCs.Accompanying the guilty pleas were agreements to civilly forfeit a $2 million mansion on the Connecticut River, a three-carat diamond ring, and two luxury BMW automobiles, all of which were purchased from the smuggling proceeds. A total of ten individuals have pleaded guilty to federal charges in connection with this investigation. Nationwide to date, 114 individuals have been convicted in illegal CFC import schemes and over 56 years of imprisonment and $67 million in fines and restitution have been imposed.

www.epa.gov