Bills mounting for owners of illegal dump site in Fort Worth
FORT WORTH — Months after the I-Team revealed a massive illegal dump in a quiet Fort Worth neighborhood, the cleanup has begun.
Illegal dumping, tax breaks and donkeys; I-Team investigates Fort Worth property
It's been a long time coming for neighbors along Randol Mill Road, near East Loop 820. They've spent years worried about water pollution, fire hazards, and mosquitoes -- all because of the dump hidden within the heavily wooded 70-acre lot.
When our chopper flew over the property in February, we could see mountains of shingles and tires among the trees. The city and state found out about it in May 2022 and ordered it to be cleaned up. But for two years, nothing happened.
Today, the dump site is noticeably different. The land has been cleared, with the tires and shingles moved into large piles.
According to the city, more than 51 tons of shingles have been hauled away so far, but there are more buried beneath the dirt that need to be dug up and removed.
The land is owned by the family of a former congressional candidate named Raja Chaudhry. He ran on a platform that included environmental responsibility, and the importance of local cleanup efforts, but it was only after our reporting that his family took steps to undo the dump on Randol Mill Road.
They are now footing the bill for that cleanup and will pay more property taxes, too.
For years the land held a special valuation that reduced property taxes by around 90%. The owners told the Tarrant Appraisal District the lot was used primarily for agriculture, with horses, chickens and goats living on the land.
The I-Team found none of those animals there for several months -- until May, just before TAD was scheduled to inspect the property. That's when we spotted trailers bringing in horses.
The owners told TAD the horses had been there "year-round," but inspectors said the evidence showed otherwise. TAD revoked the valuation, a decision the owners appealed. In a hearing on Friday, a review board denied the appeal, which means the property tax bill for the Randol Mill Road lot will go from less than $200 to potentially more than $20,000.
As for the horses, weeks after they were brought to the property, the city seized them. Authorities cited evidence of animal cruelty and neglect. A municipal judge ruled against the owners. The family later appealed that ruling; another court hearing will be held this week to determine the fate of the animals.
Chaudhry has repeatedly declined our requests for an interview. Last month, through his attorney, he told the I-Team that while his mother owns the property, she is out of the country and too sick to travel back to care of the matter. Chaudhry also said that he and his brothers are trying "to address the issues with the property even though they have no legal responsibility whatsoever."