The man who created a giant illegal dump known as "Mount Trash-more" was sentenced Friday to spend 52 weekends in jail after state officials and neighbors told the judge it had made life miserable.
Geno Capozziello Sr. also received a 10-year suspended sentence, to be followed by five years probation and was ordered to perform 3,000 hours of community service.His jail sentence is to begin in January, and during that time he must wear an electronic bracelet and be confined to his home on nights when he's not in jail.
The 35-foot-high trash pile festered for eight years before it was finally removed earlier this year, at a cost to the state of $500,000.
Capozziello pleaded guilty in October to one count of operating a solid-waste facility without a permit and 10 counts of altering a waste facility without a permit.
Residents said the pile emitted a powerful stench that forced them to stay indoors and keep their windows closed. They said it also caused health and rodent problems.
Capozziello's lawyer, Gary Mastronardi, argued for a suspended sentence, saying Capozziello had tried for years to get the city to provide a place for him to dump demolition debris that made up the trash pile.
The pile contained 35,000 tons of construction debris dumped by Capozziello's now defunct company, Connecticut Building and Wrecking Co.
Superior Court Judge Richard Damiani followed closely a recommendation made by a citizens group that spent years fighting for the trash heap's removal.
Capozziello said he felt the sentence was fair. "I want to just put this behind me," he said.
Residents also said they felt the sentence was fair.