Onoff pleads guilty to asbestos removal scam

Dec 17, 2009

Frank Onoff was an asbestos removal supervisor for Paragon Environmental Construction, Inc. when he engaged in an illegal asbestos removal scheme that spanned a decade and left asbestos behind in a number of homes and buildings, primarily in the area of Syracuse, New York. Onoff pleaded guilty in federal court to several charges: participating in a conspiracy with Certified Environmental Systems, Inc. to defraud the federal government, violating the Clean Air Act, violating the Toxic Substances Control Act and committing mail fraud. The air monitoring company, Certified Environmental Systems, provided false results to the asbestos abatement contractors, leading building owners to believe that their asbestos had been removed properly, when in fact it had not.

The fraudulent test results were used for asbestos removal projects at churches, schools, a facility for the mentally disabled, a television station, a library reading room, a sorority house, government buildings and private homes. One particular project from 2003 involved the removal of pipe insulation from a building at the Oneonta Job Corps Academy.

Onoff agreed in his plea deal to cooperate in the cases against the remaining five defendants from Certified Environmental Systems: Barbara Duchene, Sandy Allen, Nicole Copeland, Elisa Dunn and Thomas Juliano.

For the full story, go to The Daily Star.

Latest News Stories