A Richmond contractor was billed with violating federal lead renovation, restore and painting rules while component of a system to demolish and repair blighted houses.
A federal grand jury indicted Jeffrey Delucio, 52, with two counts of violating the Harmful Substances Regulate Act and 1 depend of falsifying files in the course of a federal investigation.
Delucio was co-operator of Aluminum Brothers Dwelling Enhancements LLC, a now-dissolved business owned by his son, Dillan Delucio.
The business bid and won contracts to rehabilitate numerous guide-contaminated houses in Richmond as portion of the city’s participation in the Indiana Housing and Neighborhood Development Authority’s Blight Elimination Program.
Between September 2016 and September 2017, Aluminum Brothers was awarded far more than $165,000 in contracts by the Richmond Board of Public Will work and Basic safety to rehabilitate structures in the city’s Old Richmond Historic District.
According to the federal indictment, Delucio failed to train his personnel how to guard the general public from lead-primarily based paint hazards involved with renovation, maintenance and painting initiatives as required by the Toxic Substances Manage Act by the U.S. Environmental Defense Agency’s 2008 N Guide Renovation, Maintenance and Portray rule and later falsified documents to cover up the deficiency of education.
Below the rule, contractors who perform repairs and other maintenance functions that disturb painted surfaces in properties and kid-occupied amenities developed right before 1978 have certain tasks they will have to undertake in order to lawfully get the job done in residences with likely lead contamination or publicity.
The enterprise must turn out to be EPA licensed as a result of the completion of an eight-hour initial renovator coaching system, and it must abide by several do the job apply requirements.
The certification lasts for 5 years. The corporation confirmed up on the EPA’s record of qualified renovators right until its certification expired Aug. 15, 2021.
Delucio was also dependable for providing on-the-job teaching to other personnel who did not have accredited renovator teaching and for preparing data about the training.
Federal prosecutors mentioned Delucio deliberately violated the EPA rule on coaching employees and work practice specifications at two sites his organization was contracted to rehabilitate, 305 S. 10th St. and 128 S. 15th St.
The violations led to contamination of the homes as a result of guide paint chips and guide dust exposure.
A federal grand jury issued Delucio’s firm a subpoena for data relevant to worker instruction. In accordance to the indictment, Delucio established paperwork and again-dated them to appear as if his personnel were qualified ahead of they started performing on the attributes.
Delucio faces up to a 12 months in prison and a $100,000 great for violations of the EPA rule and up to 20 decades in prison and a $250,000 fine for falsifying paperwork in a federal investigation.
The alleged violations occurred despite the city of Richmond using the services of a Cambridge Town company, Star Enhancement Inc., to oversee assignments funded by IDHCA grants. Star Progress Inc. was compensated $100 per hour to oversee the rehabilitation initiatives and $1,000 for every property for direct screening.
Richmond’s Board of General public Is effective and Safety finally terminated at minimum just one agreement with Aluminum Brothers Dwelling Enhancement on Sept. 28, 2017.
A South Bend construction company was hired to redo the property at 305 S. 10th St. at the cost of $60,924.
Star Development Inc. was administratively dissolved July 5, 2019.
Aluminum Brothers House Advancement was administratively dissolved March 5, 2021.
Delucio is set to make an original overall look in federal court docket Sept. 1.