Illinois Man Admits Clean Air Act Violation with Asbestos

Sentencing will be in January for a southwestern Illinois man who admits violating the federal Clean Air Act by having asbestos illegally removed from a former industrial site.

Fifty-two-year-old Franklin “Al” Bieri of O’Fallon pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court in East St. Louis to violating the Clean Air Act.

Authorities say Bieri bought a seven-acre former Emerson Electric site in Washington Park and looked to demolish the asbestos-containing buildings on the site.

Workers hired by Bieri for the job in April of last year didn’t take proper safeguards in removing the asbestos or limiting its airborne emissions. The waste wasn’t properly labeled to alert others of its danger.

Bieri faces up to five years in prison and as much as $250,000 in fines when sentenced Jan. 13.