Pair accused of violating Clean Air Act

GRAND ISLAND, N.Y. (WIVB) - A former Buffalo Bill and his business partner have been indicted by a federal grand jury that they conspired to violate the Clean Air Act.

Sean Doctor, 46, is a former Bills fullback. The U.S. Attorney's Office says Doctor along with 48-year-old Raj Chopra operated two companies, S.D. Specialty and Comprehensive Employee Management, that between July 2009 and May 2011 defrauded the EPA and violated the Clean Air Act.

Prosecutors say the pair utilized a 40-yard, closed box container on Grand Island to improperly transport and store asbestos waste. Doctor and S.D. Specialty are also accused of violating the Clean Air Act while working on three asbestos abatement projects in Buffalo, one at the Roosevelt Park Shelter, the Graystone Building, and at several vacant houses on Grant Street.

The defendants also allegedly defrauded the NYS Insurance Fund. Prosecutors say employees working on asbestos abatement projects for S.D. Specialty were classified as "clerical workers" to get a lower premium. Authorities say Doctor defrauded the fund out of $195,000.

Doctor and Chopra are facing a 16-count indictment on charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States, violating the Clean Air Act, conspiracy to commit mail fraud, and other substantive mail fraud counts. All told, the charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.