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May 24, 2019

Guilty plea entered in New Haven asbestos case

PHOTO | New Haven Biz U.S. District Court in New Haven
By Michelle Tuccitto Sullo

A Trumbull man pleaded guilty this week to illegally removing asbestos from a commercial property on Wallace Street in New Haven.

Aleks Rakaj, 46, of Trumbull, entered the plea in U.S. District Court in New Haven. Rakaj faces up to five years imprisonment and fines at his sentencing before Judge Janet Bond Arterton on Aug. 14.

According to federal prosecutors, the work violated the Clean Air Act and endangered workers’ health, as asbestos exposure can place individuals at risk for lung cancer.

Rakaj’s cousins, Rezart Rakaj, 35, of Ansonia, and Kliton Rakaj, 39, of Monroe, who are brothers, previously pleaded guilty in connection with the same incident. The brothers were each sentenced to one year of probation, a fine of $9,500, and 50 hours of community service in April.

The family bought the property at 206-220 Wallace Street in New Haven and started renovating it in 2015.

Rezart and Kliton Rakaj operate Creative Masonry & Construction, which does masonry work, including patios, driveways, retaining walls, chimneys, steps, pool decks and fireplaces.

Federal prosecutors said a real-estate agent told the men about the asbestos when they bought the New Haven property. However, instead of hiring a professional abatement company, they hired workers who spent several days doing renovations and removing asbestos, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office. While the workers did wear dust masks and suits, they weren’t designed for asbestos protection. They also wore the suits repeatedly over the course of days instead of throwing them out, prosecutors said.

The defendants were caught in November 2015 when the City of New Haven Health Department performed an unannounced inspection. In letters to the court, the brothers were apologetic.

“The workers failed to abide by legally required safety measures, failed to perform necessary wetting and failed to dispose of the asbestos-containing waste material at appropriate disposal sites,” the U.S. Attorney’s office said in an announcement.

The inspectors allegedly saw between 100 and 150 garbage bags filled with “unlabeled, unwetted asbestos-containing material.”

Tyler C. Amon, special agent in charge of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division in New England, said the illegal removal of asbestos from old buildings is an ongoing problem throughout the Northeast.

“Inhalation of asbestos fibers can result in lung cancer and it therefore poses significant health risks to all exposed,” Amon said. “The EPA will continue to hold accountable those who commit such offenses.”

Contact Michelle Tuccitto Sullo at msullo@newhavenbiz.com

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