The principal operator of Fenimore Landfill in Roxbury appeared at a bail hearing in Superior Court Wednesday after a state grand jury indicted him on multiple counts of theft, money laundering and other charges relating to the environmental disaster that occurred on the site, resulting in more than $10 million in cleanup costs.
Richard Bernardi, 61, was arrested at 8:41 a.m. Wednesday at his Millstone (Monmouth County) residence and by 1:30 p.m., he was present at a bail hearing before Judge Thomas Critchley, who set bail at $150,000 with a 10 percent option.
Attorney Matthew Fredericks, who represents Bernardi and landfill owners Strategic Environmental Partners in related litigation, referred to the charges as "political retribution" by state officials including Gov. Chris Christie and Bob Martin, commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the agency that issued permits to Bernardi for his stated plan to cap the long-dormant landfill and establish a solar farm on the site.