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FBI Arrests Elderly Married Couple For Cyanide Poisoning

Pinkie

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Cleveland, Ohio -- Federal authorities accused a Grafton couple Wednesday of causing a massive fish kill in the Rocky River by dumping 55 gallons of toxic cyanide into a storm sewer last spring.


A grand jury returned indictments against Renato Montorsi, 79, and his wife Teresina, 74, on charges of conspiracy and obstruction of justice. Renato Montorsi also is accused of violating the Clean Water Act.


"Mr. Montorsi chose to use the river behind us as his own dump," said U.S. Attorney Steven at a news conference at the Rocky River Nature Center. "Nearly every fish in a three mile stretch -- about 30,000 -- were killed."


On April 22 -- Earth Day -- tens of thousands of dead and dying fish, turtles, crayfish, frogs and other wildlife washed up along three miles of the East Branch of the Rocky River between the Bonnie Park Picnic Area and Wallace Lake in Berea.

Cyanide identified as cause of April fish kill in Rocky River; Grafton couple indicted (video) | cleveland.com

These two own a coin and precious metal business, which uses a lot of cyanide. When waste management refused to collect a 55 gallon drum full of used cyanide, they allegedly dumped the contents into a storm sewer.

WHAT a horrible crime.

If these people are guilty, what do you think should happen to them?
 
Make them eat the fish. You reap what you sow.
 
Cyanide identified as cause of April fish kill in Rocky River; Grafton couple indicted (video) | cleveland.com

These two own a coin and precious metal business, which uses a lot of cyanide. When waste management refused to collect a 55 gallon drum full of used cyanide, they allegedly dumped the contents into a storm sewer.

WHAT a horrible crime.

If these people are guilty, what do you think should happen to them?

I think they should be punished as per what the law prescribes for the crimes they're guilty of. And then I think they should be civilly sued for the damage they've done to the Rocky River as well as revenues lost because of their criminal acts...I'm thinking sport fishing was effected. There would be clean-up costs, etc. Perhaps there's a way to put a number on that. I also think any wells in the area should be checked for cyanide. If there's even a smidgeon, they should be prosecuted for whatever "endangering the welfare of others" entails...and sued for the costs of clean-up of those as well.

I like nothing better than taking money from those whose greed has harmed others. Taking all of it would be a fine bonus.
 
I think they should be punished as per what the law prescribes for the crimes they're guilty of. And then I think they should be civilly sued for the damage they've done to the Rocky River as well as revenues lost because of their criminal acts...I'm thinking sport fishing was effected. There would be clean-up costs, etc. Perhaps there's a way to put a number on that. I also think any wells in the area should be checked for cyanide. If there's even a smidgeon, they should be prosecuted for whatever "endangering the welfare of others" entails...and sued for the costs of clean-up of those as well.

I like nothing better than taking money from those whose greed has harmed others. Taking all of it would be a fine bonus.

I completely agree. The motive may not have been eco-terrorism, but the effect on us is the same.

Lord have mercy, there are some very strange rangers in my neck of the woods, Mags.
 
Send the toxic avenger after them.

Seriously, the DNR should handle them for killing wildlife. Maybe a nice hefty fine and community service.
 
Send the toxic avenger after them.

Seriously, the DNR should handle them for killing wildlife. Maybe a nice hefty fine and community service.

You don't think they should do prison time, helix?

Is it on account of their age?
 
Cyanide identified as cause of April fish kill in Rocky River; Grafton couple indicted (video) | cleveland.com

These two own a coin and precious metal business, which uses a lot of cyanide. When waste management refused to collect a 55 gallon drum full of used cyanide, they allegedly dumped the contents into a storm sewer.

WHAT a horrible crime.

If these people are guilty, what do you think should happen to them?

Was there a way they could get it properly handled? If waste management refused to collect it, they could have found themselves in a Catch-22. I don't know enough details to be able to say one way or the other.

But they should likely receive a rather large fine and a lot of community service.
 
I wonder why waste management refused to dispose of the waste. That's their job.
 
Was there a way they could get it properly handled? If waste management refused to collect it, they could have found themselves in a Catch-22. I don't know enough details to be able to say one way or the other.

But they should likely receive a rather large fine and a lot of community service.

The article said they could have called for a hazardous waste pick up, at their cost.

I have a question myself: can I get cyanide if I just claim to be a coin dealer? Why isn't this substance more tightly controlled?
 
I wonder why waste management refused to dispose of the waste. That's their job.

Not the usual garbagemen -- people around here have to call and make arrangements for the HAZMAT guys, and we get charged for that.
 
I'm disgusted and angry, but I wouldn't give them the death penalty.

I do think they deserve prison time, and that'd likely be LWOP for them.

If I put that much into a public water supply, should I get death? If I knew what harm I was causing? Of course. I think this couple knew exactly what they were doing and just didn't give a ****. They have destroyed an entire ecosystem. It's not just the fish...it's everything that water touched, everything that depends on those fish, etc etc etc. This elderly couple destroyed more than we can possibly grasp. It's high time we make people realize the importance of our environment. They DIRECTLY attacked every single person living along or near that river.



I say death, and ALL of their holdings go towards fixing what they broke.
 
You don't think they should do prison time, helix?

Is it on account of their age?

They should do prison time, but that won't bring the fish back to life. Making them do some serious cleanup would probably be more effective for their age. Why confine them to a space and feed them? Make them go out and do some hard labor.
 
They should do prison time, but that won't bring the fish back to life. Making them do some serious cleanup would probably be more effective for their age. Why confine them to a space and feed them? Make them go out and do some hard labor.

Not a huge fan of creative sentencing, myself. Prison will do nicely, IMO -- that, and confiscating everything they own to defray the clean up costs and punish for the terror they inflicted on this community.
 
If I put that much into a public water supply, should I get death? If I knew what harm I was causing? Of course. I think this couple knew exactly what they were doing and just didn't give a ****. They have destroyed an entire ecosystem. It's not just the fish...it's everything that water touched, everything that depends on those fish, etc etc etc. This elderly couple destroyed more than we can possibly grasp. It's high time we make people realize the importance of our environment. They DIRECTLY attacked every single person living along or near that river.



I say death, and ALL of their holdings go towards fixing what they broke.

I would agree if a human had been killed, I think. I have to ponder on that awhile.

I'm still stunned that TWO people did this. We had two psychopaths in Cleveland with 55 gallons of cyanide in their garage?
 
The article said they could have called for a hazardous waste pick up, at their cost.

I have a question myself: can I get cyanide if I just claim to be a coin dealer? Why isn't this substance more tightly controlled?

You can get a lot of dangerous stuff very easily, the overwhelming vast majority of people who do get it, don't do anything nefarious with it either.
Most people just really don't know about this.

No I'm not going into detail on the internets about it. :)
Suffice to say, you'd be surprised.
 
A few things;

1. If Waste Management refused to pick it up, then why?
That info does not seem to be provided.

2. Did they refuse to pay?
Again, info does not appear to be provided.

3. How long had they been dumping, assuming they refused to pay?
This would indicate the severity of the crime.

Some Cyanide info;
http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/chemicals/second_addendum_cyanide_short_term%20_4_.pdf
Cyanide ions are relatively stable in the environment unless they are oxidized. The fate and behaviour of cyanides in water will be controlled by various parameters of the water body — namely, pH, trace metal levels, dissolved oxygen and temperature. Although there appear to be no specific data, the half-life of cyanides in water is likely to be weeks.

If they were stuck in a catch-22 situation, where WM refused to pick it up, and they were willing to pay, than a fine and community service would cover it for them. But, in that instance, WM should be liable as well.
 
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You can get a lot of dangerous stuff very easily, the overwhelming vast majority of people who do get it, don't do anything nefarious with it either.
Most people just really don't know about this.

No I'm not going into detail on the internets about it. :)
Suffice to say, you'd be surprised.

I would say that, in terms of destroying water supplies, gasoline would be the easiest and most effective. There are chemicals in gas that are very very very hard to filter out of water, and mere drops of the stuff can contaminate gallons upon gallons.


If I were looking to do serious harm to a village or city or whatever, I'd just buy 20-30 gallons of gas, and start dumping it near water treatment facilities. Simple as pie, really.
 
Then again, I'm kinda crazy like that...I just think about all the bad stuff you can do with otherwise normal items. I guess I'm a terrorist in the making, lol?

Like, for instance, I look at the news, and see all the creative ways and lengths people go to to kill other people, and it boggles my mind. Doesn't need to be complicated. Buy a propane tank, fill it, and set it on fire. Run like hell. One 20 lb tank is enough to more than level the typical size home...or office, fast food joint, etc. You get the idea.

Cyanide in the river is pretty bad, though, to be honest. It's basically like pouring thousands and thousands of gallons of bleach into the water.
 
I would agree if a human had been killed, I think. I have to ponder on that awhile.

I'm still stunned that TWO people did this. We had two psychopaths in Cleveland with 55 gallons of cyanide in their garage?

Well, they were married....so it's really more like ONE psychopath. Or at least, like one psychopathic purpose...
 
A few things;

1. If Waste Management refused to pick it up, then why?
That info does not seem to be provided.

2. Did they refuse to pay?
Again, info does not appear to be provided.

3. How long had they been dumping, assuming they refused to pay?
This would indicate the severity of the crime.

Some Cyanide info;
http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/chemicals/second_addendum_cyanide_short_term _4_.pdf


If they were stuck in a catch-22 situation, where WM refused to pick it up, and they were willing to pay, than a fine and community service would cover it for them. But, in that instance, WM should be liable as well.

Here, you have to call for hazard waste removal, Kr1ll1n, but if you do and you pay the disposal fee, they will take your used cyanide.

This is not a "Catch 22" situation.
 
Well, they were married....so it's really more like ONE psychopath. Or at least, like one psychopathic purpose...

I listened to a tv news story about this. The wife was reported to be indicted for obstructing justice, because she tried to help the husband cover up his crime.
 
Guys we don't need an EPA the free market will take care of th-
 
There are a couple of things I found interesting in this article beyond what has already been stated.

The Montorsis own a coin and precious metal business, Kennedy Mint Inc., on Pearl Road. They previously owned a metal-plating company at the same location that used cyanide, Dettlebach said.

It would seem that the Montorsis had been using cyanide for some time now, being on their 2nd business dealing with the stuff. I think it would be safe to assume that they would have had to have disposed of it prior to this event. We know they tried to have it picked up and it was refused. I am jumping to a conclusion here but I would think that might have been how they had disposed of it up to that point. If they had been disposing it for years in a different manner why would they suddenly change now and when it didnt work why then still not revert to what had been working for years? It would appear to me that the city or trash people or someone changed their policy and that was that.

Reading this thread it would appear as if these people went and dumped the cyanide into the river. That is not what happened.

Montorsi rolled the drum to a storm sewer, punctured the side of the drum with a spike and let the contents drain into the sewer.

Montorsi dumped the stuff in the sewer quite possibly expecting that it went to waste water treatment plan and not just emptied into a river. He may also have assumed that sewage is already toxic and adding this would do no harm. The reason I am pointing this out is because his intent is important. If this man was trying to destroy a river, kill the wildlife or even poison a water supply then he deserves prison or even death. However, if his intent to dump it into a sewer was for it to go to a treatment plant and he honestly didn't figure any harm would come it is not the same thing. I think this man's motive needs to be considered and it doesn't appear as though many are. It would seem like a moderate fine and community service directly involved in the clean up would be appropriate.
 
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