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NYC hires Lucchese connected demo company
#716662
05/21/13 12:47 AM
05/21/13 12:47 AM
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Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 8,534
IvyLeague
OP
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OP
Joined: Aug 2008
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EXCLUSIVE: City hires firm with mob ties to demolish Prospect Plaza Houses in Crown Heights
Breeze National was run by Toby Romano Sr., an alleged organized crime associate convicted of bribery in 1988, and previously employed Herb Pate, an associate of the Luchese crime family. Romano’s wife is listed as the VP/Treasure and co-owner of the business with son, Toby Jr. The firm has been connected to various botched demolition jobs, including two that left two men dead.
BY GREG B. SMITH / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS MAY 19, 2013The city has hired a demolition firm with mob ties and a deadly safety record to finally tear down an abandoned public housing development that's remained vacant for more than a decade, the Daily News has learned. Some 1,500 tenants of the Prospect Plaza Houses in Crown Heights were relocated starting in 2001 with the promise that they'd be back in by 2005 once everything was renovated. A decade later, the renovation plans have been abandoned and the city has decided on demolition instead, hiring a company called Breeze National to tear down the four boarded-up, rotting buildings that remain. The hiring of Breeze, however, has its own set of issues. Until recently, the company was owned by Toby Romano Sr., an alleged organized crime associate who was convicted 1988 of bribing a health inspector during an asbestos removal job. In 2006 the city's Business Integrity Commission denied a Breeze affiliate, Breeze Carting, a license to haul trash in the city, citing Romano's record and charging that the company made what it termed "material misrepresentations" — aka "lies" — in its application. By 2009 the city began requiring that Breeze hire a special anti-corruption monitor to oversee its work — but even that didn't necessarily fix the problem. That year while Breeze was tearing down the old Shea Stadium, the monitor in place discovered that one of Breeze's employees was Herb Pate, a "known associate of the Luchese crime family." Breeze got rid of Pate and insisted that since then, Romano Sr., the company president, "no longer has an ownership interest.” That's not true of Romano Sr.'s wife, Mary. Breeze says Mary is no longer on the payroll but bid documents obtained by the News show she's still listed as VP/Treasurer and is co-owner with Romano's son, Toby Jr. Breeze officials did not return calls Saturday. On April 2, 2012, Breeze and four other demolition firms submitted bids to the city Housing Preservation & Development, which has partnered with NYCHA to rip down the high-rise towers and replace them with low-rise townhouses and apartments. Breeze's bids were dramatically different than every other bidders, documents show, totaling just $5.8 million. The next lowest bidder, NASDI LLC, bid $10.5 million for the same work. Twenty days after the bids were submitted on April 22, 2012, an old garage Breeze was demolishing for Columbia University uptown collapsed, trapping three men. One man died, and federal regulators later alleged Breeze was told of a crack in the structural steel before the accident, but did nothing about it.The U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) slapped Breeze with two safety violations and fined the firm $9,800, which Breeze is now fighting. As it happened, another Breeze worker had died at another Columbia U. job the prior year by falling down an empty elevator shaft. OSHA hit Breeze with $2,250 in fines, which the company settled for $1,688. Despite the mob ties and safety violations, HPD in December chose Breeze over four other bidders. The city is obligated choose the "lowest responsible bidder," and HPD spokesman Eric Bederman noted that — as with the Shea Stadium job — Breeze must hire an anti-corruption monitor who will report directly to the city Department of Investigation, and retain an on-site safety inspector. "By its nature a demolition project of this size and complexity requires the approval of numerous city agencies as part of a comprehensive monitoring effort. Given the demands of the job and City's concerns, we are requiring the contractor to submit to multiple layers of oversight to ensure compliance with all City, State and Federal labor practices, the safety of the workers and public, and the integrity of its business operations." Bederman noted Breeze's bids "were substantially lower than the next lowest bidder, offering the City the opportunity to save millions of taxpayer dollars that can now be budgeted by NYCHA to aid in other priorities." Already the job has fallen behind schedule. It was supposed to start April 15, but as of Friday the deteriorating towers remained unscathed, grass growing up through the pavement of a basketball court, a park bench outside one building scrawled with the disturbing street message, "INFESTED WITH BEDBUGS." Meanwhile, some of the hundreds of tenants who lost their homes so many years ago wonder if they'll be allowed back in. Only 80 of the 365 units will be set aside for NYCHA residents, with the rest going to any family making $55,000 a year or less. Last Friday, outside one of the buildings set to be demolished in the coming months, one former Prospect Plaza tenant was shocked to hear about the coming demolition crews. "I can't believe they're tearing that down," said Shirley Ross, who was with her daughter, Latefa Lee, 13, who happened to have been born just a few weeks before the family was relocated from the towers. "There's a lot of memories in those projects," she said. "People have been waiting a long time to come back." http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/broo...ticle-1.1348028
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Re: NYC hires Lucchese connected demo company
[Re: Skinny]
#716785
05/21/13 01:38 PM
05/21/13 01:38 PM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 23,296 Throggs Neck
pizzaboy
The Fuckin Doctor
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The Fuckin Doctor
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 23,296
Throggs Neck
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As someone whos worked construction, i hate this shit. Those big sites are dangerous enough without contractors being able to cut corners. Demo jobs especially. Ain't that the truth. Nothing curbs fanboyism quite like having a relative plunge to his death from a recycled scaffold.
"I got news for you. If it wasn't for the toilet, there would be no books." --- George Costanza.
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Re: NYC hires Lucchese connected demo company
[Re: 123JoeSchmo]
#716981
05/22/13 09:19 PM
05/22/13 09:19 PM
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Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 4,089 Brooklyn, New York
Dapper_Don
Underboss
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Underboss
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 4,089
Brooklyn, New York
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This puzzles me. Why in the world did these guys get hired? Their bid to do the work was almost $5 million lower than the next lowest bidder. All about getting the work done at the lowest price, and when its this much lower you tend to look the other way at "questionable" past business practices.
Last edited by Dapper_Don; 05/22/13 09:38 PM.
Tommy Shots: They want me running the family, don't they know I have a young wife? Sal Vitale: (laughs) Tommy, jump in, the water's fine.
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Re: NYC hires Lucchese connected demo company
[Re: Dapper_Don]
#716992
05/22/13 10:18 PM
05/22/13 10:18 PM
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Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 1,769 Massachusetts, USA
123JoeSchmo
Underboss
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Underboss
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 1,769
Massachusetts, USA
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This puzzles me. Why in the world did these guys get hired? Their bid to do the work was almost $5 million lower than the next lowest bidder. All about getting the work done at the lowest price, and when its this much lower you tend to look the other way at "questionable" past business practices. That makes sense. I just thought New York was still trying to rid the mob from construction companies as the industry is certainly not clean. This isn't a great way to do it and you're right Nicky, it's all about that $$$
"Don't ever go against the family again. Ever"- Michael Corleone
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Re: NYC hires Lucchese connected demo company
[Re: Louiebynochi]
#717008
05/23/13 05:10 AM
05/23/13 05:10 AM
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Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 8,534
IvyLeague
OP
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OP
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 8,534
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Why in gods name did the company bid 5 million less
How are they able to do it for so much cheaper
A possibility is that they're able to submit lower bids because they are able to cheaper non-union labor through a sweetheart deal with the union. By the way, louie, I miss your love letters.
Mods should mind their own business and leave poster's profile signatures alone.
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Re: NYC hires Lucchese connected demo company
[Re: Dapper_Don]
#717147
05/23/13 10:00 PM
05/23/13 10:00 PM
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Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 8,534
IvyLeague
OP
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OP
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 8,534
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It is much harder nowadays (not impossible) to use non-union labor (if the job calls for union labor specifically) on a job for any governmental entity. From personal experience and knowledge, the level of oversight and checks and balances that are in place are pretty extensive. Obcourse things slip by, but the penalties that are imposed on both the union and the company that is caught doing this can be quite hefty. I don't know what the percentage of construction projects would be that are using non-union labor compared to the overall picture. However, within the realm of LCN labor racketeering schemes, sweetheart deals using non-union labor are the most common. Raab wrote a good article about this back in 1999 - Investigators Detail a New Mob Strategy on Building Tradeshttp://www.nytimes.com/1999/08/08/nyregi...=all&src=pm
Mods should mind their own business and leave poster's profile signatures alone.
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Re: NYC hires Lucchese connected demo company
[Re: IvyLeague]
#717303
05/25/13 10:00 PM
05/25/13 10:00 PM
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Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 4,089 Brooklyn, New York
Dapper_Don
Underboss
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Underboss
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 4,089
Brooklyn, New York
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It is much harder nowadays (not impossible) to use non-union labor (if the job calls for union labor specifically) on a job for any governmental entity. From personal experience and knowledge, the level of oversight and checks and balances that are in place are pretty extensive. Obcourse things slip by, but the penalties that are imposed on both the union and the company that is caught doing this can be quite hefty. I don't know what the percentage of construction projects would be that are using non-union labor compared to the overall picture. If I had to ballpark it, I would say less than 20% especially if the contract was granted by a governmental entity.
Last edited by Dapper_Don; 05/25/13 10:00 PM.
Tommy Shots: They want me running the family, don't they know I have a young wife? Sal Vitale: (laughs) Tommy, jump in, the water's fine.
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