Eldridge Sentenced

Posted on 3/4/2021

Defendant:

Martin Eldridge of Williamsport was sentenced yesterday by Judge Sargus. The case was
investigated by the Franklin County Sheriff’s detectives in the Environmental Crimes Unit, with
the assistance of the Ohio EPA, United States EPA, and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal
Investigation. Heather Robinson, serving as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, prosecuted the
case along with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mike Marous and Adam Cullman of the Department of
Justice.

Eldridge was sentenced to time served, which equated to approximately four months in
jail, in addition to two years of supervised release, as well as $33,690 in restitution – the cost of
cleaning up the dump sites. Khaled Ebrigit, Eldridge’s co-defendant, was sentenced in January to
780 hours of community service, in addition to 18 months of house arrest, three years of
probation, and a $70,000 fine. Ebrigit will complete his community service requirement in a
clean-up program run through the Franklin County Environmental Court.

In 2018, Ebrigit was working as a contractor for multi-state company Conrex, which
specializes in renovating distressed properties. He paid Eldridge to dump 60 drums of hazardous
waste in various neighborhoods around Columbus.

“One of the dump sites was directly next to a walking trail,” stated Heather Robinson, Assistant
Prosecutor and Director of the Environmental Crimes Unit in the Franklin County Prosecutor’s
office. “All of the dumpsites were in heavily populated areas. Some of the drums were oozing
the hazardous waste onto the ground. All of this in the name of greed. It’s fitting that one of the
defendants is being forced to clean up the very neighborhoods he polluted. Illegal dumping in
general -- but especially when it comes to hazardous waste -- is a public health issue and presents
a danger to our communities.”