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Wisconsin Cheese Group Sentenced to Probation and $237,500 Fine for Clean Water Act Violation

A Wisconsin cheese manufacturer was sentenced on August 14, 2026, to one year of probation and ordered to pay a $237,500 fine after pleading guilty to violating the Clean Water Act.

4 reports on this incident · first at Aug 15, 2026, 12:52 p.m. ET

By AI ReporterFirst reported Aug 15, 2026, 6:13 p.m. ETUpdated Aug 16, 2026, 4:11 p.m. ET
On August 14, 2026, U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita M. Boor Wisconsin Cheese Group, LLC to for violating the Clean Water Act, according to official court records from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Wisconsin. The company, headquartered in Monroe, Wisconsin, pleaded guilty to the charge on June 4, 2026. As part of the sentence, the manufacturer was ordered to make facility improvements and consult with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources on future permitting issues. Outlets differed on the exact phrasing of the government's statement: 1039wvbo.com reported the government states that Wisconsin Cheese Group, LLC, a cheese company headquartered in Wisconsin, violated the Clean Water Act, while fox969.com reported According to official court records, the company disrupted the Village of Monticello's treatment works on 19 days between June 6, 2022, and November 5, 2022, by releasing untreated wastewater into the municipal sewer. The discharges exceeded biological oxygen demand (BOD) permit limits by high margins, including multiple instances exceeding limits by over 1500%. At the time, the company lacked specific controls for permit compliance and had not adequately trained employees on wastewater management. Judge Boor noted the offenses were entirely avoidable with better planning as production ramped up, but commended the company's cooperation and commitment to improvements. The case was investigated by the Environmental Protection Agency's Investigation Division and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Stelljes. Allison Landsman, Special Agent in Charge of the EPA's enforcement program in Wisconsin, stated, "The defendant’s criminally negligent discharges of untreated industrial wastewater into the publicly owned sewer system disrupted the system on multiple occasions," adding that Clean Water Act violations can endanger human health, wildlife, and the environment.

Earlier reports

  1. Aug 16, 2026, 12:00 a.m. ET

    Wisconsin Cheese Group Pleaded Guilty and Was Sentenced for Clean Water Act Violation

    On August 14, 2026, Wisconsin Cheese Group, LLC was sentenced to one year of probation and ordered to pay a $237,500 fine after pleading guilty on June 4, 2026, to violating the Clean Water Act, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Wisconsin and reporting by 1039wvbo.com.

    By pleading guilty, the company admitted to negligently discharging untreated wastewater from its cheese manufacturing plant into the Village of Monticello’s sewer system on 19 days between June 6, 2022, and November 5, 2022. The releases disrupted the municipal treatment works and exceeded the biological oxygen demand limit in the company's permit by high margins, including multiple discharges that exceeded the limit by more than 1500%.

    Under the sentence imposed by U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita M. Boor, the company must make facility improvements and engage with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources on future permitting issues. Allison Landsman, Special Agent in Charge of the Environmental Protection Agency’s criminal enforcement program in Wisconsin, stated that the company's negligent discharges disrupted the publicly owned sewer system on multiple occasions and noted that violations of the Clean Water Act can endanger human health, wildlife, and the environment.

  2. Aug 15, 2026, 11:54 p.m. ET

    Wisconsin Cheese Group Sentenced for Clean Water Act Violation

    On August 14, 2026, Wisconsin Cheese Group, LLC was sentenced in federal court to one year of probation and ordered to pay a $237,500 fine for violating the Clean Water Act, according to official records from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Wisconsin. The sentence was imposed by U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita M. Boor. The Monroe, Wisconsin-based company had previously pleaded guilty to the charge on June 4, 2026.

    According to official records, the criminal charge stemmed from releases of untreated wastewater from the company's cheese manufacturing plant into the municipal sewer system between June 6, 2022, and November 5, 2022. The releases disrupted the Village of Monticello's treatment works on 19 days. During these incidents, the company exceeded its permit's biological oxygen demand limit by high margins, including multiple discharges exceeding the limit by more than 1500%.

    In addition to probation and the $237,500 fine, the court ordered Wisconsin Cheese Group to make facility improvements and to engage with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources regarding future permitting issues, according to official records. Allison Landsman, Special Agent in Charge of the Environmental Protection Agency's criminal enforcement program in Wisconsin, stated that violations of the Clean Water Act can endanger human health, wildlife, and the environment. The sentence was also reported by 1039wvbo.com.

  3. Aug 15, 2026, 12:52 p.m. ETFirst report

    Wisconsin Cheese Group Sentenced to Probation and $237,500 Fine for Clean Water Act Violations

    According to official court records from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Wisconsin announced on August 14, 2026, Wisconsin Cheese Group, LLC, headquartered in Monroe, Wisconsin, was sentenced to one year of probation and ordered to pay a $237,500 fine for violating the Clean Water Act. U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita M. Boor handed down the sentence following the company's June 4, 2026, guilty plea. The case status remains open and developing as the company works to complete mandatory probation requirements.

    Official records state that between June 6, 2022, and November 5, 2022, the company disrupted the Village of Monticello's treatment works on 19 days by releasing untreated wastewater into the municipal sewer system. The discharges exceeded the biological oxygen demand (BOD) limit in the facility's permit by high margins, including multiple occurrences exceeding the limit by more than 1500%. At the time, the company had no specific controls to ensure compliance and failed to adequately train employees on wastewater management.

    Chadwick M. Elgersma, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced the resolution of the case, which was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Stelljes after an investigation by the EPA's Criminal Investigation Division. Allison Landsman, Special Agent in Charge of the Environmental Protection Agency's criminal enforcement program in Wisconsin, stated that the negligent discharges disrupted the public sewer system. Judge Boor noted the violations were entirely avoidable and caused the company to become a neighborhood polluter, though she commended the company for cooperating with investigators and agreeing to facility improvements enforceables as conditions of probation. As part of its sentence, the company must also engage with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources regarding future permitting issues.

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Revision history

  1. Version 216 Aug 2026, 20:11current

    Updated story to include the conflicting reporting on the government's allegations from 1039wvbo.com and fox969.com.

  2. Version 116 Aug 2026, 03:54current

    First published.

  3. Version 115 Aug 2026, 16:52current

    First published.

  4. Version 116 Aug 2026, 04:00current

    First published.

  5. Version 116 Aug 2026, 03:52

    First published.

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