BUFFALO, NY – Rai Johnson, 35, of Buffalo, has pleaded guilty to violating the Clean Air Act asbestos work practice standards in connection with the Kensington Towers project. Johnson, a supervisor at Johnson Contracting of WNY, Inc., admitted to intentionally violating federal environmental laws during the asbestos abatement activities at six buildings at the Kensington Towers Apartment Complex, located at 1827 Fillmore Avenue in Buffalo.
According to the plea agreement, Johnson and employees working under his direction failed to adequately wet regulated asbestos during stripping and removal operations, and caused regulated asbestos to be dropped down holes cut through the floors in Building A-1. The asbestos abatement project lasted from June 2009 to January 2010 and involved 63,000 square feet of regulated asbestos containing material.
The guilty plea is the sixth conviction in connection with the Kensington Towers project. Ernest Johnson, JMD project monitors Evan Harnden, Chris Coseglia, Henry Hawkins, and Brian Scott, have also been convicted. Charges are still pending against current and former public officials responsible for certifying the project’s compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul stated that the conviction “means that all defendants who worked directly on the Kensington Towers asbestos removal project – and who intentionally violated federal environmental laws while doing so – have now been brought to justice.”
The investigation was conducted by Special Agents of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – Criminal Investigation Division, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-In-Charge, Vernesa Jones-Allen; Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Special Agents of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development – Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent-In-Charge Christina Scaringi; and Investigators of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Police, BECI, under the direction of Captain David Bennett.
Sentencing is scheduled for August 18, 2014, at 1:00 p.m. before U.S. District Court Judge Richard J. Arcara. The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both.
Rai Johnson is expected to be sentenced for his role in the Kensington Towers asbestos abatement project, which resulted in the release of regulated asbestos into the environment.
Johnson Contracting of WNY, Inc., and other companies involved in the project, have also been implicated in the Clean Air Act violation.
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Public Corruption|White Collar Crime|Environmental Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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