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Stamford Septic Company Owner Accused Of Dumping Sewage To Avoid Fees

STAMFORD, Conn. -- A Stamford septic company owner dumped 7 million pounds of sewage into the city's sewer system to avoid paying the city's disposal fees, said police, who charged the man with three counts of first-degree larceny Thursday.

Robert Aillery, 58, of 84 Knickerbocker Ave., pictured here, is charged with dumping sewage from his septic business into the city's sewer system instead of disposing it with the WPCA. He allegedly dumped it down a drain in his home's garage.

Robert Aillery, 58, of 84 Knickerbocker Ave., pictured here, is charged with dumping sewage from his septic business into the city's sewer system instead of disposing it with the WPCA. He allegedly dumped it down a drain in his home's garage.

Photo Credit: Frank MacEachern
Robert Aillery, 58, of 84 Knickerbocker Ave., is charged with dumping sewage from his septic business into the city's sewer system instead of disposing it with the WPCA. He allegedly dumped it down a drain in his home's garage.

Robert Aillery, 58, of 84 Knickerbocker Ave., is charged with dumping sewage from his septic business into the city's sewer system instead of disposing it with the WPCA. He allegedly dumped it down a drain in his home's garage.

Photo Credit: Stamford Police Department
Robert Aillery, 58, of 84 Knickerbocker Ave., pictured here, is charged with dumping sewage from his septic business into the city's sewer system instead of disposing it with the WPCA. He allegedly dumped it down a drain in his home's garage.

Robert Aillery, 58, of 84 Knickerbocker Ave., pictured here, is charged with dumping sewage from his septic business into the city's sewer system instead of disposing it with the WPCA. He allegedly dumped it down a drain in his home's garage.

Photo Credit: Frank MacEachern

Neighbors had complained for months about the smell and about the backflow of raw sewage, police said. Robert Aillery, 58, of 84 Knickerbocker Ave., turned himself in to police early Thursday. He appeared later in court for his arraignment, saying little with his hands handcuffed behind him. 

His bond was set at $150,000. 

Aillery, who owns Stright Septic, dumped waste collected from his customers' septic tanks into the city's sewer system instead of paying disposal fees to the Water Pollution Control Authority, police said. He dumped the sewage into the city's sewer system through a drain in the garage at his home, according to police reports. 

He is under a court order to remove his two trucks from his property and has until Nov. 26 to find another place to park them. Until then, the trucks cannot be parked in the garage.

He also failed to pay $101,660 in fees for sewage that he did not take to the WPCA for disposal, police said.

Police have been investigating the case for the past 18 months. Neighbors have complained of foul smells and backflows of raw sewage into their homes on the residential street, that runs parallel to Hope Street. The WPCA measured the sewage flow from his home by flow meters, police said.

In May 2013, the WPCA formally requested police to begin an investigation. 

During the investigation, a search warrant was executed at 84 Knickerbocker Ave. At that time, investigators observed a hose hooked to a valve on a septic truck with the other end stuck into a drain leading into the city's sewer system, police said.

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