Northern California Man Arrested for Asbestos Crimes

September 25, 2006 - A man from Tracy, California was arrested last week and charged with four counts of violating the federal Clean Air Act by improperly razing an asbestos-filled building in Hayward, California.

Wassim Mohammad Azizi, 32, whose business consists of buying, demolishing, and renovating commercial buildings, failed to inform the Environmental Protection Agency and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District in advance of his work, therefore lacking the permits he needed.  He’s also charged with failing to protect the workers who were involved in the demolition, according to articles in both the San Francisco Chronicle and The Argus.

Other details of the indictment indicate that Azizi failed to remove all the asbestos from the building before it was demolished, failed to properly contain those materials during the demolition process, and proceeded to dump the asbestos materials into an open trash bin. 

For each violation of the Clean Air Act, Azizi faces the possibility of a $250,000 fine plus restitution and up to five years in federal prison.  According to the report in The Argus, the EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division has been watching this case for more than a year.  Azizi is scheduled to appear before a judge in the Northern District of California, based in San Francisco.