The illegal discharge contributed to a noxious rotting egg odor that lingered for months, affecting thousands of residents
August 2, 2026 – LOS ANGELES, CA – Three executives of Virgin Scent and the company were sentenced on 
Friday after pleading no contest to one felony and four misdemeanor environmental crimes stemming from the improper storage of alcohol-based hand sanitizers that sparked a massive fire at the business' Carson warehouse in 2021 and the subsequent illegal discharge of hazardous waste into the municipal storm drain system.
“Businesses that handle hazardous materials have a legal and societal obligation to protect our communities and our environment,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said. “These defendants failed in that responsibility before, during and after this devastating fire. Their actions endangered first responders, harmed the environment and impacted thousands of nearby residents. They have now suffered the criminal consequences for their illegal actions, which should serve as a deterrent to other companies and corporate executives of the penalties they may face if they choose profits over following laws designed to protect the environment and their communities. I want to commend Deputy District Attorney Louis Morin and the Environmental Crimes Division for their outstanding prosecution of this case, including our Bureau of Investigation, which assisted in the investigation.”
The Virgin Scent corporation and executives Yaakov Nourollah (40) of Los Angeles, Akiva Nourollah (37) of Los Angeles and Yehuda Nourollah (38) of Los Angeles each pleaded no contest to one felony count of disposal of hazardous materials and one misdemeanor count of reckless storage of hazardous materials before and including the day of the September 30, 2021, fire. The hearing took place on Friday in Department H of the Compton Courthouse in case TA157794.
All defendants also pleaded no contest to one misdemeanor count each of unlawfully depositing hazardous materials, violating the Clean Water Act and failing to report the discharge of hazardous materials following the fire.
The charges stem from the September 30, 2021, fire at Virgin Scent’s Carson warehouse, where large quantities of alcohol-based hand sanitizer had been improperly stored. Following the fire, the defendants pumped the remaining hand sanitizer into the municipal storm drain system, where it flowed into the Dominguez Channel. The illegal discharge contributed to a noxious rotting egg odor that lingered for months, affecting thousands of residents living near the Dominguez Channel.
The defendants were placed on two years of formal supervised probation. They were sentenced to one year in county jail, suspended, and ordered to complete 75 hours each of community labor. Restitution to victims will be determined at a future hearing.
The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Louis Morin and the Environmental Crimes Division and investigated by the Los Angeles County Fire Department and LADA’s Bureau of Investigation.
Source: Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office
