Catonsville Man Pleads Guilty for Lead Paint Violations

A Catonsville man pleaded guilty Tuesday to three misdemeanor accounts for improper lead abatement and failing to disclose to tenants lead-based paint hazards.

Cephus Murrell, 68, has been a landlord in Baltimore since 1974 and is president and owner of C. Murrell Business Consultants, Inc. All of his properties were built before 1978 and are subject to laws about the removal of lead paint, according to a press release.

Murrell owns and manages 68 rental properties and 175 rental housing units. Children at his properties were found to have elevated levels of lead in their blood while living there, which prompted Maryland Department of the Environment to conduct lead inspections.

State and city officials issued more than 20 violation notices for doing things like falsely claiming that lead abatement work was happening on his properties, according to the release. 

Murrell faces a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a fine of $100,000. He will be sentenced on November 4.

“Cephus Murrell placed Baltimore children at risk of permanent injuries by violating federal law and ignoring repeated orders to comply with lead paint regulations,” U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein said in a release.  “It is unacceptable in 2011 for pregnant women and children to be exposed to lead paint in violation of the law.”