Rita Marie Lavelle (September 8, 1947) is a United States and California State Republican political figure. In 1984, Lavelle was convicted on federal charges of perjury related to an investigation into misuse of the United States Environmental Protection Agency's "Superfund" money during her tenure with the agency, and irregularities at the Stringfellow Acid Pits, a major hazardous waste site. The Lavelle incident was labeled "Sewergate" or "Garbagegate" by the newspapers at the time.[1]
In 2004, Lavelle was convicted again on unrelated federal charges of one count of wire fraud and two counts of making false statements to the FBI. Lavelle committed these crimes in her NuTECH Enterprises, Inc. business of environmental consultation.