By AP/KWMU
East St. Louis, ILL. – A former East St. Louis city councilman and chair of that city's Democratic Party has been indicted on pollution and conspiracy charges.
Charles Powell is already in prison for vote fraud. He's now accused of crimes committed while renovating a building in East St. Louis in 2002, namely that he didn't properly protect workers who were removing asbestos.
The indictment alleges that Powell, 63, also didn't properly dispose of the asbestos. He and the supervisor of the renovation are also charged with conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act.
Powell faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.
He is currently serving a 21-month sentence in the Marion Federal Penitentiary on vote fraud charges. He was convicted in June 2005 of scheming to buy votes in the 2004 fall election.