Press Release - Buildings

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For Immediate Release:
December 31, 2018
CONTACT: dobcommunications@buildings.nyc.gov,
(212) 393-2126

DOB ISSUES MONTHLY ENFORCEMENT BULLETIN

Report Highlights DOB Enforcement Outcomes from November 2018 to Deter Bad Actors and Keep New Yorkers Safe

New York, NY – Today, the New York City Department of Buildings released its November 2018 enforcement bulletin, which provides highlights of the agency’s actions to sanction and deter bad actors in the construction industry through the enforcement of safety laws and codes of conduct for construction professionals. Today’s bulletin includes summaries of DOB-imposed disciplinary actions, including penalties and license suspensions and revocations.

The actions below represent a portion of DOB’s overall work to enforce the City’s building codes and safety laws, in addition to the thousands of inspections conducted and violations issued by the agency each month for illegal building and construction conditions.

DOB took a number of major enforcement actions in November, including:

35 violations and $461,899 in penalties, including daily penalties, issued for illegal building alterations on nine separate occasions.

14 violations and $227,450 in penalties, including daily penalties, issued for illegal transient use of buildings at six different locations.

35 violations and $410,000 in penalties issued for failure to safeguard construction sites on 33 separate occasions.

20 violations and $200,000 in penalties issued to 18 different individuals for failure to carry out duties as construction superintendents.

Below are individual enforcement highlights for November 2018:

$12,500 in penalties issued to Lantower Realty LP, the owner of 3138 Bailey Avenue, Bronx, for various conditions including failure to maintain a shared retaining wall that collapsed, failure to remove the compromised structure, failure to report the incident, and failure to comply with DOB orders.

$10,000 in penalties issued to Registered General Contractor, DCD Construction LLC, for failure to safeguard a construction site after it was determined that the Yodock barriers used to protect pedestrians were not properly installed, and not filled with water to weigh them down.

$25,000 in penalties issued to Hoist Machine Operator Patrick Tarrant for inadequate safety measures in operating a crane at 16 East 204th Street, Bronx, after the crane sling broke and fell on top of a car.

$25,000 in penalties issued to Skywork Contracting Inc. for inadequate design and construction of a sidewalk shed that partially collapsed at 154 Broome Street, Manhattan.

$25,000 in penalties issued to Trustees of Columbia University for failure to protect the public from a documented unsafe façade at 701 West 168th Street.

$27,500 in penalties issued to Registered General Contractor Rafael Friedman and Stateline Builders Inc. for various conditions at 561 4th Avenue, Brooklyn, including failure to keep plans on site, and failure to maintain the façade of the building resulting in falling brickwork that struck a vehicle.

$45,000 in penalties issued to Registered General Contractor LMB Construction of NY, Inc. for various violating conditions at 102-02 Liberty Avenue, Queens, resulting in the collapse of a wall of the adjacent property during underpinning operations, including for a failure to promptly report the accident.

$12,500 in penalties issued to Kalawattie Jodah, owner of 102-31 134th Street, Queens for the illegal occupancy of a single-family home that was illegally converted into a two-family residence with the addition of an apartment in the cellar.

$25,500 in penalties issued to Zainul Abedin, owner of 243-01 132nd Road, Queens for the illegal conversion of a two-family home into a four-family residence with addition of apartments in the cellar and the attic.

$47,500 in penalties issued to Rahman Layekur, owner of 170-20 90th Avenue, Queens for the illegal conversion of a two-family home into a four-family residence with the addition of apartments in the cellar and on the second floor.

$60,000 in penalties issued to Fabio Lazoski Fonseca, an owner at 20 Bayard Street, Brooklyn for the illegal transient use of the building, which was listed for short term rentals on Airbnb.

$7,500 in penalties issued to GLM 333 Realty LLC, an owner at 155 East 30th Street, Manhattan, for the illegal transient use of the building, which was renting out short term rental units for $400 a night.

$8,750 in penalties issued to 156 E 30 Realty LLC, an owner at 156 East 30th Street, Manhattan, for the illegal transient use of the building and safety violations, after it was determined that ten people were renting out the penthouse apartment for a period of two weeks for $35 per person per night.

$17,000 in penalties issued to Loretta J Gendville, an owner at 121 East 54th Street, Manhattan, for the illegal transient use of the building, which was listed for short term rental on Airbnb.

Registered General Contractor and Construction Superintendent Oscar Velasquez was disciplined for having a high number of OATH summonses at his worksites, and voluntarily surrendered his registrations effective November 13, 2018.

Master Electrician Michael Riglietti, was convicted of two felonies that arose out of his professional dealings with the City, and voluntarily surrendered his license effective November 30, 2018.

Construction Superintendent Yoel Roth was convicted of falsifying business records in the second degree related to filings submitted to the City in his capacity as a licensee, and voluntarily surrendered his registration effective November 8, 2018.

The owners of 110-18 153 Street, Queens were issued a warning letter after DOB inspectors observed an illegal auto repair shop was operating in the residential building. Following the issuance of the warning letter, the illegal use was discontinued.

Following Department actions to deter illegal dead vehicle and junk storage on a residential property at 2970 Cross Bronx Expressway, Bronx, the illegal use was discontinued.

253-69 149th Street, Queens was padlocked in 2008 after a default hearing at OATH due the premise being used for illegal auto repairs and junk salvage storage. The owner requested the closure order be rescinded, which was granted after an inspection confirmed the illegal use was discontinued.

For previously issued Enforcement Action Bulletins, please visit our website.