"State inspector pleads guilty to lying to EPA
A former inspector for the state Department of Agricultural Resources admitted in court to falsifying federal inspection reports for the Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday, according to the office of US Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz. Paul Ricco, 54, of Springfield, pleaded guilty to 15 counts of making false statements in US District Court in Springfield, Ortiz’s office said. Between March 2010 and May 2012, Ricco produced 15 phony reports for the agricultural department’s pesticide program. He submitted the reports to the EPA without performing the assigned inspections, which were instituted to ensure that pesticide manufacturers were producing and packaging the chemicals securely, according to Ortiz’s office."
