NY State Investigation: Safety Inspector Allegedly Submitted Fraudulent Asbestos Reports for Properties in NYC

NY man enters guilty plea in connection with an investigation into alleged invalid asbestos reporting performed at over 200 properties that were renovated or demolished in NYC in the past ten years. Exposure to the cancer-causing mineral places all those who were exposed at lifelong risk for asbestos disease.

If your family is facing a loved one’s diagnosis with mesothelioma, asbestos lung cancer or asbestosis caused by exposure to asbestos, please complete the form on this page to obtain important information about your legal options.

In April 2009, a New York man plead guilty for his role in the alleged creation and submission of countless safety reports for properties all over New York City. The reports, which were to reflect the presence of asbestos and/or lead, are required to be prepared before an aging apartment building or commercial building can be renovated or prepared for demolition.

According to the investigation, the man had been allegedly submitting fraudulent documents for almost 10 years. The man’s activities first came to light in 2008, when a city employee at the Department of Mental Health and Hygiene noticed that two lead dust swipe tests submitted for two different properties contained essentially identical information.

The man, who remains free on bail, faces a possible prison sentence of 4-5 years, and may also be assessed financial penalties.

Asbestos Health Risks
The man’s activities, which are so widespread that the city has created a Web site to comply with regulations that require all those placed at risk to be notified, may cause serious health problems for every person who worked on a renovation or demolition project at these buildings. In addition, anyone in the area where asbestos may have been improperly removed could also have been exposed to dusts contaminated by asbestos fibers.

When asbestos fibers are inhaled, the microscopic fibers remain in the lungs rather than being expelled by coughing or sneezing. The tiny fibers have sharp, jagged edges which cause them to attach to lung tissue, where over a period of 30-40 or more years, the asbestos causes healthy lung tissue to scar.

After this decades long latency period, the damage to the asbestos-scarred lungs can cause a number of serious breathing disorders, including asbestosis, emphysema or pleural plaques disease, to develop.

For other asbestos disease patients, the consequences are more serious when the lungs begin to produce abnormal cells. These abnormal cells then reproduce and cluster to form mesothelioma or asbestos lung cancer tumors.

How Weitz & Luxenberg Can Help
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, we may be able to help you to seek justice for your illness and file a lawsuit on your behalf.

Please complete the form on this page for a free and confidential review of your potential asbestos lawsuit or request a free copy of our asbestos sourcebook. A Weitz & Luxenberg representative will contact you as soon as possible.