The owners of S&W Atlas Iron & Metal Co., a metal recycling company that caused controversy for its disposal of hazardous waste adjacent to a high school in Watts, were sentenced to two years of probation on Tuesday.
Atlas, owned by Gary Weisenberg, 78, and his 37-year-old son Matthew Weisenberg, was shut down temporarily earlier this year.
On May 20, the father-son ownership team pleaded no contest to five felony counts of hazardous waste disposal at an unpermitted site, two misdemeanor counts of hazardous waste disposal at an unpermitted site and two misdemeanor counts of public nuisance, resulting in the firm being permanently shuttered.
The site in question is located next to Jordan High School on South Alameda Street in Watts, where students and faculty alleged long-term dangers dating back decades — the school opened in 1929 and the recycling center 20 years later — although the misconduct in this case dates back to 2017.
One of the most notable incidents that endangered Jordan High students was an explosion on Aug. 12, 2024, the first day of school that year, which eventually led to the discovery of “excessive concentrations” of lead and zinc, among other metals, in the soil near the school, officials said at the time.
Despite the allegations against them, the DA’s Office said in March of this year that the company still flouted safety laws. Specifically, they were said to have been accepting “combustible materials” after a judge told them not to do so.
The years of back-and-forth between Atlas Metals, the greater Watts community and those affiliated with Jordan High School came to a conclusion on Tuesday, as a judge sentenced both Gary and Matthew to two years of probation.
They had originally been indicted on 25 counts of violating environmental and safety laws, but several counts were dropped as part of a plea deal that saw the company close for good and the Weisenbergs barred from engaging in metal recycling.
Atlas will also be responsible for cleaning up the site and paying $2 million in restitution.
In the wake of the sentencing, community leaders expressed gratitude that a company charged with endangering the health and safety of school-aged children is now no more.
“I think the DA should be happy, the people of Los Angeles should be happy, because a perpetrator of environmental crime has been shut down,” said Timothy Watkins Sr., the president and CEO of the Watts Labor Community Action Committee.
“It’s really hard to see that it’s taken this long for this outcome,” added community activist Genesis Cruz, who went to Jordan High School. “I wanted to see the Atlas property be given back to the community.”
In a statement after the verdict was handed down, the L.A. Unified School District said they were “pleased” that the active risks to their students is gone. However, they noted that, while accountability is necessary, the site needs to be cleaned up quickly.
The judge in their case set a date in January for officials to check in on the cleanup progress.
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