CHICAGO — Attorneys representing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers filed a lawsuit against the luxury auto group owned by Chicago dealer Joe Perillo in federal court last week, Chicago Business reports.
The complaint says construction equipment at work on Perillo-owned property has dumped “dirt, spoil, rock, and sand” into the North Branch of the Chicago River, causing a seawall to collapse, polluting the river and creating a navigational hazard in violation of the federal Clean Water Act and Rivers and Harbors Appropriation Act.
“Each day that such material remains in place constitutes a separate violation.”
Prosecutors say the dumping started in October 2018 and was ongoing when the lawsuit was filed. They want Perillo Motor Cars Inc., which operates six highline franchises in Chicago and two in nearby Downers Grove, Ill., to end the practice and pay for the cost of cleanup and restoration.
“Defendants have violated and continue to violate CWA … by their unauthorized discharges of dredged or fill material into waters of the United States at the Perillo site. Each day that such material remains in place constitutes a separate violation,” the charging document states, in part.
