Press Release - Buildings

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For Immediate Release:
January 31, 2019
CONTACT: dobcommunications@buildings.nyc.gov,
(212) 393-2126

DOB ISSUES MONTHLY ENFORCEMENT BULLETIN

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

New York, NY – Today, the New York City Department of Buildings released its December 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 December, including:

Nine violations and $80,425 in penalties, including daily penalties, issued for illegal building alterations on three separate occasions.

14 violations and $165,843 in penalties, including daily penalties, issued for illegal transient use of buildings at four different locations.

55 violations and $625,000 in penalties issued for failure to safeguard construction sites on 46 separate occasions.

11 violations and $110,000 in penalties issued to 11 different individuals for failure to carry out duties as construction superintendents.

Below are individual enforcement highlights for December 2018:

$106,000 in penalties issued to Nelson A. Gonzalez, owner of 50-16 96th Street, Queens, for the illegal conversion of a legal two-family home to nine SROs.

$55,000 in penalties issued to Haight Trades, LLC, owner of 41-18 Height Street, Queens, for various violations related to the illegal transient use of multiple apartments in the building, as well as inadequate means of egress and lack of a fire alarm system.

$52,500 in penalties issued to Safety Registrant King Demolition Services for various site-safety related violations on a construction site at 2365 Hoffman Street in the Bronx, including lacking a required construction fence, failure to implement proper housekeeping, failure to protect neighboring properties from construction operations, and failure to safeguard the site.

$51,750 in penalties issued to Ahmed Salim, owner of 87-03 148th Street, Queens, for violations related to the illegal conversion of a legal two-family home into an illegal four-family home by constructing illegal apartments in the building without DOB permits.

$50,250 in penalties issued to Registered General Contractor Pacific Rim for various worker-and pedestrian-safety related violations on a construction site at 38-04 11th Street, Queens, including not keeping required site safety plans on site, missing guardrails, obstructing a public sidewalk with tripping hazards, and constructing a work platform that was not on the approved safety plans.

$50,000 in penalties issued to CL Concrete Corp. and Forest Building Supply for operating a crane in an unsafe manner at 149 Church Street, Manhattan, by hoisting two separate loads at different heights using one hook, which created an immediately hazardous condition endangering workers on the site.

$47,500 in penalties issued to Malk Tenenhaus, Trustee, owner of 209-28 23 Avenue, Queens, for violations related to the illegal conversion of a legal two-family home into an illegal four-family home by constructing illegal apartments in the cellar and on the first floor without DOB permits.

$45,250 in penalties issued to 311 W 50 Realty LLC, owner of 311 West 50th Street, Manhattan, for various violations related to the illegal transient use of four apartments in the building, as well as illegal work without a permit and a lack of a fire alarm system.

$36,750 in penalties issued to Registered General Contractor M.N.C. General Contr. Corp. for various violating conditions at 286 Lenox Avenue, Manhattan, including blocked fire escapes, performing construction work beyond the scope of the approved plans, failure to provide overhead protection, missing guardrails, and unsafe storage of combustible material.

$34,100 in penalties issued to Safety Registrant Ground to Sky City Builders for performing construction work without proper DOB permits, and various site-safety violations at 21 North Henry Street, Brooklyn, including not having a construction superintendent for the project, not installing a sidewalk shed, missing guardrails, and improperly erected supported scaffold.

$20,000 in penalties issued to Patrick Breen and Nick’s Towing Service, Inc. for several violations related to the illegal use of a tow truck as a crane on a construction site at 2670 Hyland Boulevard, Staten Island.

$12,500 in penalties issued to Luis Nunez, representative of 530 West 157th Street, Manhattan, for three violations for falsely stating a building was unoccupied on DOB application filings.

$11,875 in penalties issued to S Maor, LLC, owner of 2 Bay 25th Street, Brooklyn, after DOB discovered that the second floor office in the building had been illegally converted into a spa and massage parlor.

$10,000 in penalties issued to Safety Registrant Sky Materials Corp. for failure to make the proper notification to the Department of Buildings regarding the arrival of a crane to the construction site at 140 West 24th Street.

$10,000 in penalties issued to Registered General Contractor P & K Contracting, Inc. for operating a forklift on the sidewalk without flagmen, barriers, or other pedestrian protections at 2225 Lacombe Avenue, Bronx.

$6,250 in penalties issued to Abraham Feingold for tampering with a Stop Work Order posted by DOB at 1729 54th Street, Brooklyn.

$4,100 in penalties issued to the Licensed Master Plumber Company, Einsteins Plbg & Htg Inc. for installing a boiler and gas fired hot water heater at 110 North 9th Street, Brooklyn, without proper DOB permits.

$3,750 in penalties issued to Tracking Number Holder Bagiana Construction Inc. for violations related to failure to comply with a Tenant Protection Plan, failure to provide proper housekeeping, and failure to distribute the Safe Construction Bill of Rights to tenants.

Following actions taken by the Department, including the issuance of multiple violations, the Department was able to gain compliance from the property owners at 1764 University Avenue, Bronx, in restoring the sidewalk around a gas service station to its previous legal condition. The owners had illegally altered the curb to provide more space for cars to enter the service station, removing street parking and creating a dangerous situation for pedestrians. The illegal curb cuts have been removed.

Following an investigation into technical report submissions filed by Registered Architect Sandor Weiss, which found the applicant signed-off on multiple special inspections despite not being the Director of a registered Special Inspection Agency, the applicant agreed to surrender all filing privileges with the Department for three years.

Licensed Master Plumber and Site Safety Manager Quin Rickman agreed to voluntarily surrendered his Site Safety Manager registration, and have his Master Plumber license suspended for 18 months effective November 19, 2018, following an investigation that he made materially false statements on a form filed with the Department related to his Site Safety Manager registration application.

Licensed Oil Burner Installer Michael Santoro was disciplined by the Department for performing work without a permit, and agreed to pay a fine of $8,000 and have his license put on probation for one year effective December 27, 2018.

Licensed Master Plumber Joseph Moehlenhoff was disciplined by the Department for failure to have a properly established business location, and agreed to pay a fine of $800 and have his license put on probation for one year effective December 21, 2018.

Following issuance of an OATH summons from the Department for an illegal motorcycle repair and dead vehicle storage business on a residential property at 1529 Lurting Avenue, Bronx the illegal use was discontinued. DOB will continue to monitor the residential property for compliance.

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