For Immediate Release:
May 29, 2018
CONTACT: dobcommunications@buildings.nyc.gov,
(212) 393-2126

DOB ISSUES MONTHLY ENFORCEMENT BULLETIN

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

NEW YORK – The New York City Department of Buildings today released its April 2018 enforcement bulletin, 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 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 April, including:

• A total of 47 violations and $557,550 in penalties, including daily penalties, issued for illegal building alterations on 21 separate occasions.
• A total of 11 violations and $115,000 in penalties, including daily penalties, issued for illegal transient use of buildings at 3 different locations.
• 48 violations and $557,000 in penalties issued for failure to safeguard construction sites on 44 separate occasions.
• 22 violations and $235,000 in penalties issued to 20 different individuals for failure to carry out duties as construction superintendents.

Below are individual enforcement highlights for April 2018:

• $52,000 in penalties and the license revocation of hoist machine operator Kevin Reilly for the unsafe operation of a crane, failure to safeguard, failure to follow a manufacturer’s specifications and unfamiliarity with equipment at 60 Hudson Street, Manhattan, where a crane collapsed and killed one pedestrian in February 2016.
• $50,000 in penalties issued to licensed master rigger Greg Galasso for the unsafe operation of a crane and failure to safeguard 60 Hudson Street, Manhattan, where a crane collapsed in and killed one pedestrian in February 2016.
• $40,800 in penalties issued to Cenpark Realty LLC for filing false statements on thirteen separate PW-1 applications for 360 Central Park West, Manhattan, concerning whether or not the building is occupied.
• $28,000 in penalties issued to building owner Thomas Brodsky for filing false statements on six separate PW-1 applications for properties in Manhattan, including 1801 2nd Avenue, 154 West 71st Street, 124 West 60th Street, and 75 West End Avenue, concerning whether or not the building is occupied.
• $49,000 in penalties issued to building owner Chu Pun Chu for illegally altering the property at 51-28 Codwise Place, Queens, from a two-family home to a five-family home.
• $48,200 in penalties issued to building owner Omar Shakkour for illegally altering the property at 108 Sharpe Avenue, Staten Island, from a two-family home to a four-family home.
• $52,000 in penalties issued to building owner Marlo Gitto for the illegal transient use of two residential units at 12-14 27thAvenue, Queens.
• $10,000 in penalties issued to S & E Bridge & Scaffold LLC for a failure to safeguard while using a hoist machine at 1681 3rd Avenue, Manhattan, as sensors on the hoist machine to prevent overloading were deactivated during operation of the machine.
• $40,000 in penalties issued to JRS Construction Expediting for the failure to safeguard a construction site at 169-17 107th Avenue, Queens, for missing railings, unprotected floor openings, a broken sidewalk, and a construction fence in disrepair.
• The voluntary surrender of Professional Certification and Directive 14 filing privileges of Charles Jordan, R.A., Adam Kushner, R.A., Frederick Goldberg, P.E., Sohel Ahmed, P.E., and Mang Wong, P.E., for wrongfully certifying applications of non-code complaint projects submitted to the Department.
• $20,000 in penalties issued to Merell Cemetery, 1700 Forest Avenue, Staten Island, for displaying multiple outdoor advertising signs without permits and in a prohibited zone.
• $5,600 in penalties issued to Bethelite Community Baptist Church for illegally displaying LED signs in a residential district at 38 West 123rd Street, Manhattan.

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