When Thomas de Jong of Buckeye was indicted on three felony counts of pollution in 1996, he knew it was a mistake because the failed wastewater system at his dairy farm had been designed by the federal government.

Nevertheless, the 52-year-old husband and father of six endured years of litigation and $200,000 in attorney fees before a jury found him not guilty. Ultimately, a federal judge ruled that U.S. lawyers prosecuted the case in "bad faith," and de Jong was reimbursed for his legal costs.