2 men charged with illegal dumping in pine barrens, Suffolk DA's office says

Two Suffolk County men have been charged with illegally dumping a moving truck's worth of construction waste and household debris in the pine barrens last month, the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office said Monday.

Charles Weiss, 32, of Coram, and Marvin Sandoval, 28, of Ronkonkoma, were arraigned Wednesday in Riverhead Town Court on charges that they had violated county law barring dumping in Suffolk-owned lands and the 105,000-acre, state-protected pine barrens. 

Two unidentified witnesses who spotted the garbage "had the good conscience and initiative to sift through the pile for any identifying information" and contacted authorities, the district attorney's office said.

Weiss and Sandoval were released without bail by Riverhead Town Justice Sean Walter. It was unclear whether they entered pleas. They are due back in court on Jan. 8.

Attempts to reach their attorneys were unsuccessful.

Sandoval and Weiss were charged under the county's "evergreen law," enacted earlier this year to deter illegal dumping on public lands. The law increased fines from $10,000 to $15,000 for individuals and from $15,000 to $25,000 for companies.

The law was enacted in anticipation of the closing of the Brookhaven Town landfill. The 50-year-old landfill will stop taking construction debris on Dec. 31 and is expected to close in 2027 or 2028, Newsday has reported.

The law allows witnesses who provide information leading to an arrest of a polluter to collect 25% of that penalty, Newsday has reported.

“The Long Island Pine Barrens are necessary to the health of our ecosystem, but at the same time, [are] incredibly fragile," District Attorney Ray Tierney said in a statement. "I am fully committed to preserving our natural heritage and will take any and all actions necessary to deter and defend against pollution.”

The district attorney's office said Weiss and Sandoval on Nov. 6 charged a homeowner $1,000 to clean the person's home and remove trash. After filling a U-Haul box truck with garbage, Sandoval and Weiss allegedly dumped it in a "remote wooded" area of the pine barrens, the district attorney's office said in a news release.

The debris included Styrofoam, a sink, a granite countertop, pieces of wood furniture, used paint cans, paint rollers, shower doors, chandeliers, tools and multiple bags of household garbage, the district attorney's office said.

Weiss and Sandoval were identified during a joint investigation by the district attorney’s office, Suffolk County park rangers and Riverhead Town Police, the district attorney's office said.

In a statement, Pine Barrens Commission executive director Judy Jakobsen said the arrests “demonstrate what can be accomplished when many law enforcement agencies work together to protect the beautiful Central Pine Barrens."

By Carl MacGowan

carl.macgowan@newsday.comCarlMacGowan

Carl MacGowan is a Long Island native who covers Brookhaven Town after having previously covered Smithtown, Suffolk County courts and numerous spot news and feature stories over his 20-plus year career at Newsday.