Aug. 2, 2011: Miami Man Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for Illegally Importing R-22 Refrigerant
WASHINGTON — U.S. District Court Judge Adalberto Jordan sentenced Brendan Clery to 18 months in prison and ordered him to pay a $10,000 criminal fine and forfeit illegal proceeds in the amount of $935,240 for illegally importing R-22 refrigerant. Clery pleaded guilty in April 2011 to knowingly importing approximately 278,256 kilograms of illegal HCFC-22 into the United States.
According to court records and statements, in 2005, Clery formed and served as president of Lateral Investments LLC, a corporation he established in Florida for the purpose of importing merchandise, including refrigerant gas he intended to sell illegally. Between June and August 2007, Clery engaged in the illegal importation of approximately 278,256 kilograms or 20,460 cylinders of restricted HCFC-¬22 from China, with a market value of $1,438,270, and at no time did Clery or Lateral Investments hold the consumption allowances required to legally import HCFC-22.