Mining Executive Kuhn Declared Fugitive by EPA on Arsenic, Lead

Former mining-company executive Peter Kuhn was declared a fugitive by the Environmental Protection Agency after he failed to turn himself in for his role in a conspiracy to illegally dispose of arsenic and lead.

Kuhn, former president of Reno, Nevada-based French Gulch Nevada Mining Corp. and Bullion River Gold Corp. (BLRVQ), engaged in a conspiracy to dump mining wastes on a hillside, county road and stream near a company mine, the EPA said today in a statement. If convicted, Kuhn faces a possible prison term of 20 years.

On July 1, 2010, a U.S. District Court grand jury in the Eastern District of California returned an indictment charging Kuhn with one count of conspiracy and other crimes. Kuhn, 56, becomes the 18th fugitive listed by the agency, according to the EPA’s website.

A telephone message left with French Gulch Nevada Mining wasn’t immediately returned. A telephone number on file for Kuhn was disconnected.

To contact the reporters on this story: Mark Drajem in Washington at mdrajem@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Larry Liebert at lliebert@bloomberg.net