City Inspectors Plead Guilty to Asbestos Coverup

BUFFALO, N.Y. – In a shocking case of government corruption, two City of Buffalo officials pleaded guilty to Clean Air Act violations related to the Kensington Towers project. William Manuszewski, 59, and Donald Grzebielucha, 59, both of Buffalo, N.Y., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Richard J. Arcara to a negligent endangerment charge under the Clean Air Act.

The charge carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison, a fine of $100,000 or both. The defendants were employed by the City of Buffalo as building inspectors and were responsible for overseeing the asbestos abatement project at the Kensington Towers Apartment Complex, located at 1827 Fillmore Avenue in Buffalo.

Assistant U. S. Attorneys Aaron J. Mango and Russell T. Ippolito stated that the defendants negligently allowed asbestos to be released in the air during their inspections. Manuszewski inspected building A-5 at Kensington Towers on January 15, 2010, and Grzebielucha inspected building A-1 on August 25, 2009.

In both cases, the defendants relied on previous inspections conducted by JMD Environmental, Inc. that indicated all asbestos had been removed from the buildings. However, during their inspections, they found that asbestos was still present and negligently allowed it to be released in the air.

This is not the first time officials have been held accountable for the Kensington Towers project. Six other defendants have already pleaded guilty, including Johnson Contracting supervisors Ernest Johnson and Rai Johnson, and JMD project monitors Evan Harnden, Chris Coseglia, Henry Hawkins and Brian Scott.

Sentencing for defendants Grzebielucha and Manuszewski is scheduled for August 18, 2014 at 12:30 p.m. and 1:00 p.m., respectively, before Judge Arcara.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

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