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NY Inspector Pleads Guilty to Falsifying Lead and Asbestos Inspections

By Paul Napoli

A man entrusted to inspect New York City area buildings for lead and asbestos safety plead guilty in a Manhattan federal court yesterday to falsifying hundreds of reports, 1010wins.com reported.

Contractors, building owners and property management companies hired Saverio Todaro, 68, and his private company, SAF Environmental Corp., to prepare reports required by the city and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), certifying buildings are safe. However, Todaro sent fabricated reports to federal and city officials, reports for which he sometimes never sent dust samples to a lab or that he never even performed an inspection on the buildings.

Even after the city suspended his certification for asbestos reporting in 2004, Todaro kept on generating the fake reports by backdating them to look as if he had done the inspection before losing his certification. Some falsified reports were to certify building residents were safe from lead exposure, which is especially dangerous to children because it can cause developmental problems.

'Screw the public,' Todaro told the news media as he left the Manhattan court, NYDailyNews.com reported.

His message was quite different in a statement required as part of the plea agreement in which he said, 'I knew my actions were wrong and unlawful, and I am very sorry for what I did.'

Todaro "was a one-man paper mill churning out phony lead and asbestos reports," said Rose Gill Hearn, head of the city Department of Investigation in a statement. "He cared nothing for public safety and profited by duping government regulators."

Prosecutors will ask for a prison sentence of 4 to 5 years for Todaro, who is free on $250,000 bond, but the judge could give him up to 88 years.

Todaro's false reports leave behind a legacy of potential lead and asbestos hazards in buildings across the New York City area.

If you or a family member has suffered health problems due to dangerous building conditions such as asbestos or lead, you may be entitled to compensation. Call Napoli Bern Ripka LLP at 888-529-4669, we have the experience and knowledge needed to help you file a personal injury claim and see it through to its resolution. Our experienced attorneys can answer your questions and ease your concerns so that you can concentrate on healing from your injury.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Paul Napoli

Full post as published by New York City Personal Injury Lawyer on March 29, 2010 (boomark / email).