If you love "The Sopranos," nothing is better than watching Christopher and Paulie Walnuts bicker and banter for survival throughout the New Jersey Pine Barrens.
If you are from Suffolk County, you dread that now-weekly reminder of the bone-headed Long Island Pine Barrens dumpers among us who think they are above what is literally considered an "evergreen" law.
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney announced the conviction of Marvin Sandoval, 29, of Ronkonkoma, and Charles Weiss, 33, of Coram, on Tuesday, April 29th. Each pled guilty to dumping a pile of construction waste and household debris in a remote wooded area within the Town of Riverhead portion of Suffolk's vast Pine Barrens. They are expected to pay $15,000 in combined fines.
“Suffolk will not tolerate illegal dumping. My office will protect every square inch of natural space in this county and will respond with swift and aggressive prosecution whenever it is threatened," said Tierney.
Sandoval and Weiss were commissioned to clean a house for $1,000 on Nov. 6th of last year. Afterward, they loaded their U-Haul box truck and set a course for the Long Island Central Pine Barrens Region where they discarded a heap of what remained, according to court documents.
Materials disposed of included: wood furniture, paint cans, paint rollers, shower doors, chandeliers, styrofoam, a sink, a granite countertop, assorted tools and multiple household bags of general garbage.
Two civilian eyewitnesses reported Sandoval and Weiss’ actions to local law enforcement. The DA’s office conducted a joint investigation with the Suffolk County’s Police Department and Park Rangers.
Weiss pleaded guilty in February. Sandoval followed suit this week.
Per the “Evergreen Initiative,” introduced by county leadership in collaboration with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) in December of 2023, the Good Samaritans who phoned the dumping in will receive a monetary award at a later date.