Tag Archives: Bingham Fox
Ocean polluters seek to have convictions overturned
A father-son team that was convicted of polluting Puget Sound and the ocean have asked a judge to toss their convictions. In Seattle federal court on Friday, Bingham Fox asked the judge to throw out his conviction for violating the Clean Water Act. His attorney accused the government of “prosecutorial misconduct.” Fox and his son Randall Fox were convicted of pumping oily bilge water from their 80 fishing vessel “Native Sun.” A deckhand provided the US Coast Guard with a video showing a makeshift pump that pumped engine oil overboard while the vessel was in Blaine harbor. Federal law requires commercial vessels to filter out engine oil and dispose of it properly on shore, which costs time and money. click here to read the story 09:12
Caught Dead to Rights: Video catches ocean polluters in the act
Video shot by a deckhand was the key piece of evidence that helped convict the owner of a Puget Sound fishing vessel for violating the Clean Water Act. A federal jury handed down a “guilty” verdict this week after the week-long trial of Bingham Fox, who owns the 80 foot Native Sun. Jurors determined that Fox intentionally dumped oily bilge water into the port of Blaine, Wash. The U.S. Coast Guard was alerted to the pollution scheme by a deckhand named Anthony, who shot cell phone video of a makeshift pump that sucked oily sludge from the Native Sun’s hull and pumped it into the ocean and the Puget Sound. Watch the video, read the rest here 18:50
Boat owner discharged waste into ocean waters; convicted of felony
A boat owner was convicted in U.S. District Court in Seattle of discharging oily waste directly into coastal waters, a felony violation of the Clean Water Act. Sentencing is set for July 11, 2017 for Bingham Fox, owner of the fishing vessel Native Sun, after the jury deliberated six hours following a five-day trial. According to court documents, Fox and others with the Native Sun repeatedly discharged waste into the ocean using unapproved submersible pumps and hoses. According to evidence presented at trial, the Native Sun had multiple, long-term, mechanical problems that put substantial amounts of oil in its bilges. In addition, the vessel was leaky, so the bilges were constantly filling with a mixture of oil and seawater. Bingham Fox had at least one illegal pump installed on board and directed others to regularly dump oily waste from the bilges, even in port. continue reading the story here 09:29
Owner and Captain indicted on conspiracy charges for dumping oil, pollutants into Blaine Harbor
Bingham Fox, owner of the fishing vessel Native Sun, and his son Randall Fox, the boat’s captain, first dumped the waste in 2011 and continued to do so into 2013, according to DOJ. The alleged discharges also were violations of the Clean Water Act and the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships. The Thursday, April 7, indictment comes after an investigation by the U.S. Coast Guard. The indictment alleges that the Foxes purchased the Native Sun without a functioning bilge system to separate waste from water to be appropriately discarded later. Instead of repairing the system the Foxes installed a series of hoses and pumps, and ran the hoses out of the engine room and over the side of the boat. Read the rest here 09:28 photo shipspotting.com
