| Summary: | Steven Schneider, president, and Charles Centorrino, general manager, of Fleet Shipping Lines, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, CA, to felony charges of illegally transporting and improperly labeling hazardous materials. Fleet Shipping Lines is a freight forwarder, consolidating cargo for other companies and making arrangements for the cargo to be shipped outside the United States by commercial lines. Fleet presented paint, adhesives, oxidizers, cleaning products, acids, poisons, and other hazardous materials to these shipping lines without disclosing the nature of the cargo or labeling it as hazardous. Schneider, Centorrino, and the company pleaded guilty to one count each of illegally transporting hazardous materials. The company also pleaded guilty to improper labeling. Sentencing is scheduled for May 3, 2002. OIG investigated this case with the U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Office. |
