Filibuster Distillery and Sid Dilawri have pled guilty to 40 counts of violating Virginia’s State Water Control Law

RICHMOND (November 5, 2021) – Following charges brought by Attorney General Mark R. Herring and the Virginia Department of Environmental Equality (DEQ), Filibuster Distillery, LLC (Filibuster), Filibuster Barrels, LLC, and Sid Dilawri have pled guilty to 40 counts of violating Virginia’s State Water Control Law for dumping over 40,000 gallons of industrial waste and discharging cooling water outside of the terms of their permit into a stream in Shenandoah County. Collectively, the two corporations and Dilawri have agreed to pay a $700,000 penalty, a majority of which will be redirected back into the Shenandoah County community through education and infrastructure support. As part of the agreement, Filibuster agrees to maintain compliance at the distillery and invest in equipment upgrades to prevent future environmental impacts. These guilty pleas are the first criminal pleas related to environmental violations brought by the Office of the Attorney General and DEQ and came after a multi-year investigation conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Shenandoah County Fire Marshal, and DEQ into Filibuster.

“Filibuster Distillery illegally dumped tens of thousands of gallons of industrial waste into a stream, not only violating state environmental protection laws but also putting the health of its community at serious risk,” said Attorney General Herring. “All Virginia businesses both big and small must abide by state and federal environmental protections, and if they fail to do so I will make sure they are held accountable. I want to thank the Shenandoah Fire Marshal and DEQ for their partnership on this case and their continued dedication to protecting our environment.”

“DEQ takes our mission to protect the environment very seriously, and this case demonstrates that mission in action,” said DEQ Director David Paylor. “OAG’s prosecution of this case not only led to directing funds back into the impacted community but sent a strong message that environmental crimes will not be tolerated.”