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Watts Scrap Yard Owners Get Probation as Firm Ordered to Pay $1.8 Million

The shuttered Atlas facility next to Jordan High must clean up contamination under a judge’s monitoring schedule.

Overview

  • The owners of S&W Atlas Iron & Metal, Gary and Matthew Weisenberg, entered no-contest pleas and were sentenced to two years’ probation.
  • Each owner must pay a $10,500 fine and complete 200 hours of community service, with the court requiring regular progress reports.
  • The company owes roughly $1.8 million in restitution, including $1 million to LAUSD and $850,000 to the District Attorney’s Office and partner agencies.
  • The facility, permanently closed since a May plea deal, is responsible for site remediation after inspectors found it violated prior limits on combustible materials.
  • The case followed an Aug. 12, 2024 explosion and soil tests showing excessive lead and zinc near Jordan High, which officials and community leaders framed as an environmental justice issue.