For Immediate Release:
March 6, 2018
CONTACT: dobcommunications@buildings.nyc.gov,
(212) 393-2126

DOB JANUARY 2018 ENFORCEMENT BULLETIN

Report Highlights DOB Enforcement Actions Taken to Deter Bad Actors and
Keep New Yorkers Safe

New York, NY –The New York City Department of Buildings today released its monthly enforcement bulletin for January 2018, which gives 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 is the second installment in a series of monthly summaries of DOB-imposed disciplinary actions, including issuing fines, license suspensions, and revocations.

“Construction industry professionals and property owners who fail to keep sites or buildings safe not only face heavy fines, but they also run the risk of being called out publicly by the Department,” said Buildings Commissioner Rick D. Chandler, PE. “DOB is committed to modernizing and increasing transparency in everything we do, including in the actions we take to stamp out unsafe construction, and to discipline those who put others in harm’s way.”

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 multiple major enforcement actions in January against bad actors in the construction industry, including:

• A total of $127,650 in fines, including daily penalties, issued for illegal building alterations at 8 different locations.

• A total of $90,525 in fines, including daily penalties, issued for illegal transient use of buildings at 10 different locations.

• $140,000 in fines issued for failure to safeguard construction sites at 14 different locations.

• $50,000 in fines issued to 5 different individuals for failure to carry out duties as construction superintendents.

Below are individual enforcement highlights for January 2018:

• DOB obtained the voluntary surrender of all Directive 14 and Professional Certification privileges of Professional Engineer Daniel Odigie, responsible for submitting multiple defective sidewalk shed applications to DOB, including for a sidewalk shed that collapsed on November 19, 2017 at 568 Broadway, Manhattan.

• The revocation of all Directive 14 and Professional Certification privileges of Registered Architect Robert Lenahan for knowingly including false statements on multiple technical reports submitted to the Department of Buildings.

• $7,500 in fines and a 1-year probation period issued to licensed master plumber Andrzej Czechowksi for installing a sprinkler system with a permit obtained using another person’s Department issued license.

• $3,000 in fines and a 1-year probation period issued to licensed hoisting machine operator Mark Agoglia for failure to maintain his driver’s license as required by the Administrative Code, resulting from the suspension of his driver’s license.

• $16,500 in fines issued to Anthony Mastrolia of SL Green Realty Corp for falsely indicating no rent regulated dwellings existed at 315 W 33rd Street, Manhattan, when submitting applications for DOB permits at the property.

• $10,400 in fines issued to general contractor Earth Structures Inc. for failure to designate a construction superintendent and keep logs of construction work at 148 Attorney Street, a 6-Story new building project in Manhattan.

• $5,000 in fines issued to building owner NYC 6400 Holding LLC for failing to maintain a fire escape at 16 West 64th Street, Manhattan.

• $24,000 in fines issued to building owner Besham Ramlagan for submitting documents to DOB falsely claiming that a violation issued for failure to secure a retaining wall with a 20 foot drop at 365 E 197th Street, Bronx, was corrected.

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