Puerto Rico Meat Processing Plant and Four Employees Charged with Clean Water Act Violations
An indictment unsealed on August 12, 2026, charges Ganaderos Borges Inc. and four employees with conspiring to discharge pollutants into waters of the United States. The case is at the charging stage and remains undecided.
2 reports on this incident · first at Aug 20, 2026, 5:40 p.m. ET
An indictment was unsealed on August 12, 2026, charging César P. Borges-Arroyo, Neftalí Borges-Gómez, Erison Delgado-Santos, Héctor Fulgencio-Cabrera, and Ganaderos Borges Inc. (GBI) with four violations of the Clean Water Act as well as conspiring to violate the Clean Water Act, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
GBI, a slaughterhouse and meat processing plant in Naguabo, Puerto Rico, allegedly discharged wastewater from its waste retention lagoon into a creek that flows to the Caribbean Sea at Tropical Beach, without a permit. The indictment alleges the defendants conspired to pump animal flesh, blood, and feces into the creek, and concealed the discharge by hiding the pump and hose and providing false statements to authorities.
“We allege that this meat processing plant and at least four of its employees conspired to pump animal flesh, blood, and feces into a creek that flows to the ocean and a public beach,” said Principal Deputy Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Energy and Natural Resources Division. “The conduct alleged here sacrifices public health for economic gain, and it is a crime.”
The defendants are scheduled to appear before Magistrate Judge Héctor Ramos Vega of the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico for their initial appearances. If convicted, they face up to five years in prison and $250,000 in fines per charge; GBI faces up to $500,000 in fines per charge. As this case is only at the charging stage, it is undecided. An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Earlier reports
Aug 20, 2026, 5:40 p.m. ETFirst report
Puerto Rico Meat Processing Plant and Four Employees Charged with Clean Water Act Violations
According to an official Department of Justice announcement and court records unsealed on August 12, 2026 (Release No. 26-920), a federal grand jury has indicted Ganaderos Borges Inc. (GBI) and four employees on charges of conspiring to violate the Clean Water Act and committing four substantive Clean Water Act violations.
The criminal matter remains unresolved and undecided at the charging stage, pending initial court appearances and further proceedings in the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico before Magistrate Judge Héctor Ramos Vega. An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
GBI operates a slaughterhouse and meat processing facility in Naguabo, Puerto Rico. The individual defendants named in the indictment are GBI president César P. Borges-Arroyo, GBI operator Neftalí Borges-Gómez, and employees Erison Delgado-Santos and Héctor Fulgencio-Cabrera.
According to the official indictment, between August 2018 and at least September 2025, the defendants allegedly conspired to discharge liquid waste—including animal blood, hair, tissue, feces, grease, wastewater, and cleaning disinfectants—from an on-site retention lagoon into an adjacent creek that flows approximately half a mile to the Caribbean Sea at Tropical Beach in Naguabo. Official records state that GBI held a non-discharge permit requiring waste to be hauled away to a separate disposal facility, which expired on July 31, 2019, and never authorized on-site liquid discharges.
In statements announcing the charges, Justice Department officials emphasized the severity of the accusations. Principal Deputy Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Energy and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) stated, “We allege that this meat processing plant and at least four of its employees conspired to pump animal flesh, blood, and feces into a creek that flows to the ocean and a public beach.” Acting U.S. Attorney Héctor Ramírez Carbó for the District of Puerto Rico alleged that GBI repeatedly discharged untreated wastes into the sea, stating that federal authorities will pursue felony prosecutions against those who undermine environmental protection statutes. Assistant Administrator Jeffrey A. Hall of the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance added that the defendants willfully disregarded prohibitions by sending animal waste and cleaning chemicals toward coastal waters near beaches, nature preserves, and a military installation.
If convicted, each individual faces up to five years in prison and maximum fines of $250,000 per charge, while GBI faces fines of up to $500,000 per charge. The case was investigated by the EPA Criminal Investigation Division and the FBI under the Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands Environmental Crimes Task Force, and is being prosecuted by Senior Trial Attorney Patrick M. Duggan of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth A. Erbe.
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Revision history
- Version 120 Aug 2026, 21:54current
First published.
- Version 120 Aug 2026, 21:40current
First published.
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