More than a decade after the Citadel Plaza in Kansas City, MO was envisioned as a midtown retail mecca, the neighborhood remains a stew of disappointment, pollution and legal tangles.

One courtroom question was settled when a developer pleaded guilty to a role in the environmental wreck.

Anthony Crompton admitted in federal court that he violated the federal Clean Air Act by improperly removing asbestos-containing materials during the demolition of numerous houses to build the $85 million retail center.

Crompton, 41, was a real estate director at the Community Development Corp. of Kansas City, which was in charge of The Citadel Plaza Redevelopment project.

The plea agreement said Threatt and Crompton directed employees and Delroy Fadell, who was doing business as Scott Gibson Construction and Demolition, to perform the demolition work. Fadell has not been charged in the case.

Crompton faces up to five years in prison without parole and a $250,000 fine. Threatt