PORTLAND, Maine — A local man has been charged in federal court in Bay City, Michigan, in connection with an illegal discharge of oil into Lake Huron, according to documents filed in U.S. District Court in Maine.
William J. Harrigan, 47, of Portland made his first court appearance Wednesday in federal court in Portland on one count each of conspiracy to discharge oil into navigable water and discharge of oily waste into navigable water. He was released on $20,000 unsecured bail and ordered to appear in federal court in Bay City on July 26 for arraignment.
Harrigan was indicted June 22 on the charges along with Jeffrey W. Patrick, 37 of Marquette, Michigan, by a federal grand jury.
Both men were working in May and June 2014 on the tugboat Victory transporting cargo on barges in the Great Lakes, according to court documents. They allegedly assembled a removable bypass system in the engine room that discharged oily water in the lake because of problems with the bilge system.
The oily waste was discharged at night so it would not be detected as easily, the indictment alleged. At least two sheens — one 20 feet by 600 feet and the other 50 by 50 feet — were observed in the tugboat’s wake.
The alleged illegal discharges were reported to the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service.
If convicted, both men face up to five years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000 on the conspiracy charge and up to three years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000 for the discharge itself.