Man Arrested For Illegal Dumping At Suffolk Nature Preserve: DA

YAPHANK, NY – A Farmingville man is accused of damaging the Suffolk County Nature Preserve in Yaphank by illegal dumping, illegally removing trees, and storing barrels of form oil that leaked hazardous substances into the ground.

Ludovino Correia, 54, was arrested Monday and charged with second degree criminal mischief, a felony; unlawful disposal of solid waste, a misdemeanor; fourth degree endangering public health, safety, or the environment, a misdemeanor; and trespassing, a violation.

Correia is the owner of Sunshine of East Coast, Inc., a concrete and construction company, which operates a facility located at 49 North Dunton Ave. in Medford, adjacent to the Suffolk County Nature Preserve, Suffolk County District Attorney Tim Sini said.

After a fire that occurred on the property in April 2019, the Brookhaven Town fire marshal notified law enforcement of suspected illegal activity at the property, including the encroachment onto county parkland and storage of various equipment and unknown materials, Sini said.

As a result, in May 2019, several site inspections were conducted at the property by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office’s Environmental Crime Team, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Suffolk County Department of Health Services, Suffolk County Parks Department, Brookhaven Town fire marshal and other Brookhaven Town representatives.

The investigation revealed that Correia illegally dumped approximately 200 cubic yards of solid waste consisting of concrete, asphalt, brick, tile, plastic, glass, metal and lumber onto county property, Sini said.

Correia is also alleged to have built a storage shed and stored various pieces of equipment, including heavy construction machinery belonging to his business as well as two personally-owned boats, on the county’s property.

Correia also stored several 55-gallon drums of form oil on the property, some of which had leaked onto the soil, Sini said. A laboratory analysis of the soil was conducted by the Suffolk County Department of Health Services and the soil tested positive for the presence of hazardous substances.

The total estimated cost to remediate the damaged county land is $178,719, according to an environmental analysis conducted by the Suffolk County Parks Department.

Correia was arraigned on the charges Monday in Suffolk County First District Court and was released on his own recognizance. He is due back in court on Dec. 4.

“Suffolk County’s parks are not a dumping ground. Period,” Sini said. “Cracking down on environmental crimes, which can damage our natural resources and threaten public health, is a top priority of my office, and we will continue to work with all of our partners in law enforcement and government to do so.”