California Man Convicted for Demolishing Building with Asbestos

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In May 2008, a Tracy, California man was convicted in federal court on three felony counts of violating the Clean Air Act. The defendant had been charged with illegally demolishing a building that contained significant amounts of asbestos.

The man purchased a two-story commercial building in Hayward, California intending to demolish it and build a new building on the site. After the man discovered the building was full of asbestos, he hired an unlicensed handyman to begin the demolition.

The jury convicted the man for failure to comply with the federal Clean Air Act regulating the removal of asbestos-containing material; failure to properly notify the Air District about the asbestos removal; failing to wet the asbestos-containing material prior to removal; failing to keep the asbestos-containing materials in leak-tight containers, and failing to dispose of asbestos-containing materials at an authorized location.

In August 2008, the man was given a ten month federal prison sentence.

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