Attorney General Tom Corbett today announced that agents from the Attorney General’s Environmental Crimes Section have filed criminal charges against a residential developer and a former sewage enforcement officer from Northumberland County, accused of falsely certifying building lots for septic systems and submitting falsified reports to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
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Corbett identified the defendants as Kerry Yordy, 49, 2704 State Route 61, Sunbury, and Steven R. Mertz, 58, 169 Mirkwood Circle, Northumberland. Yordy served as the Sewage Enforcement Officer for Point Township, Northumberland County, where he was responsible for testing and certifying building lots for the use of on-site septic waste systems.
Corbett said that between 2001 and 2004, Yordy is accused of providing false or incomplete information about septic system testing in the “Mirkwood Development,” which is owned by Mertz. Additionally, Mertz is accused of inserting false information in Yordy’s incomplete reports and then submitting those altered documents to DEP officials.
“State regulations requiring the testing and certification of building lots were created to protect homeowners and the environment,” Corbett said. “Schemes to circumvent these procedures are a threat to residents and to the quality of life in our communities.”
Corbett said that Yordy is accused of collecting $4,220 from Point Township, Northumberland County, as payment for the testing services that he allegedly failed to perform.
Yordy is charged with two counts of deceptive or fraudulent business practices and one count of theft by deception, all third-degree felonies which are each punishable by up to seven years in prison and $15,000 fines.
Corbett said that Mertz is accused of obtaining incomplete testing documents from Yordy and inserting fictitious or falsified data before submitting those reports to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
Mertz is charged with two counts of forgery, both third-degree felonies which are each punishable by up to seven years in prison and $15,000 fines.
Yordy and Mertz were both charged by agents from the Attorney General’s Environmental Crimes Section on Thursday, August 28, 2008.
Yordy was preliminarily arraigned before Sunbury Magisterial District Judge Robert Bolton and released on $500 unsecured bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for September 2nd, at 1:15 p.m., before Magisterial District Judge Bolton.
Mertz was preliminarily arraigned before Sunbury Magisterial District Judge Carl Rice and released on $500 unsecured bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for October 7th, at 9 a.m., before Magisterial District Judge Rice.
Corbett said the case was referred to the Attorney General’s Environmental Crimes Section by Northumberland County District Attorney Anthony J. Rosini.
Corbett thanked the Northumberland County District Attorney’s Office and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for their cooperation and assistance with this investigation.
The case will be prosecuted in Northumberland County by Deputy Attorney General Brian Coffey of the Attorney General’s Environmental Crimes Section.
A person charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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