Banned from doing business: entrepreneur owes the city 4.7 million for “dirty land” (2 photos)

A six-year investigation into a construction company's use of contaminated materials has come to an end. Arsenic, mercury and other toxic materials were found in the ground.





The owner of Den-Man Contractors, David Holman, was ordered to pay $4.7 million to the authorities of Detroit (USA) and was banned from doing business in the city for the next 20 years.

A six-year investigation into a construction company's use of contaminated materials has come to an end. In 2018, the city of Detroit was demolishing vacant buildings left and right, leaving holes in the ground that needed to be filled. At the time, Den-Man Contractors was hired to fill the holes with debris-free soil, but the city's inspector general said that wasn't the case.

"Not only were they charging for free land, which they shouldn't do, but they were using dirty soil to fill the hole left by the demolition," said Ellen Ha, Detroit's inspector general.

The contaminated soil came from I-96 and I-94 reconstruction projects and commercial properties, she said.

“If it comes from a gas station or the highway, it has all these contaminants,” Ha noted.

The expert’s words were confirmed by tests. Arsenic, mercury and other toxic materials were found in the ground.



For two years, Den-Man continued to use contaminated soil to backfill approximately 90 residential properties throughout Detroit.

“By that time, they had already received contracts worth millions of dollars,” Ha added.

Den-Man owner David Holman and his contracting manager David McDonald were charged with felonies and given suspended sentences.

Part of the $4.7 million that Den-Man was ordered to pay was used to dig up the contaminated soil and replace it with clean soil.