Introduction
IDEM’s criminal investigators investigate allegations of criminal violations of Indiana’s environmental protection laws. They prepare cases for presentation to either a state or federal prosecutor who has jurisdiction over the alleged violations. A violation of Indiana’s environmental protection laws may be considered criminal when it is done knowingly, intentionally, willfully, and/or recklessly. Most environmental crimes are misdemeanors. However, an environmental crime is a felony if the offense results in damage to the environment that makes the environment unfit for humans or vertebrate animals.
Since IDEM’s criminal investigators are not law enforcement officers, they work closely with local, state, and federal law enforcement officers who assist in the investigation or the execution of search warrants and arrest warrants. The investigators also assist IDEM program areas in administrative and civil investigations and provide training for IDEM personnel.
File an Environmental Complaint
If you believe that an environmental crime has been committed, please file a complaint through one of the methods shown on the IDEM File a Complaint page. IDEM staff will investigate the complaint and determine whether criminal investigators should be involved.
Criminal Investigation Successes
Tank removal contractor ordered to repay $123,523 after fraud investigation
Alan Jones was sentenced to 12 months of probation and ordered to pay $123,523 to IDEM. Jones was employed by an environmental consulting company in Chesterton, Indiana. Customers hired Jones and his company to manage and perform environmental remediation work related to leaks from underground storage tanks.
According to court records, Jones submitted false claims for work on behalf of the company to the Excess Liability Trust Fund (ELTF), an Indiana trust fund administered by IDEM. ELTF claims staff spotted inconsistencies with Jones’ submissions and contacted IDEM’s Criminal Investigations (CI) team. CI discovered Jones had been turning in reimbursement work claims for an employee who had been dead for a year. Jones also filed several other fraudulent claims.
Gas station owner convicted after failing to manage fuel leak
An IDEM investigation into a leaking underground tank led to the conviction of a gas station owner in Howard County. Jagmohan Singh was charged in Howard County Circuit Court with a Level 6 felony, marking the first felony conviction obtained by IDEM's Criminal Investigations team.
The case began when a citizen reported strong gasoline odors near a Valparaiso gas station. IDEM emergency response staff confirmed the presence of vapors in nearby storm sewer lines and three residences. As a precaution, the street was closed, and the station's underground storage tank was pumped out.
Testing of Singh's three underground tanks revealed that a premium fuel tank was leaking. Investigators found that the leak detection system had been sounding alarms for a month, yet no report was filed. By law, leaks must be reported within 24 hours. In a 34-day span, the tank released approximately 163 gallons of fuel. Further inspection showed the tanks, installed in the 1970s, were not approved for ethanol-blended fuel.
Singh was sentenced to one year in the Howard County Criminal Justice Center, with the sentence suspended to unsupervised probation.