PA Contractor Indicted for Asbestos Violations

August 11, 2006 - A demolition contractor in northeastern Pennsylvania has been arrested and charged with ignoring asbestos regulations while tearing down buildings in the city of Hazleton. 

According to an indictment filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, James Umbriac, 56, of Hazleton, was arrested on four counts of violating the Clean Air Act and also with making false statements to environmental regulators. 

The indictment states that in March 2002, Umbriac’s company, J. Umbriac Enterprises, tore down two buildings without first properly removing asbestos-containing materials.  He is also charged with failing to comply with an order to clean up the property and for lying to a federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) employee in December 2004.

“Demolition contractors know that there are regulations governing the removal and disposal of asbestos in buildings, and they must comply with those regulations for safety of the community,” U.S. Attorney Thomas Marino said in a press release statement from his office.

Umbriac denies any wrongdoing, saying that the buildings had collapsed before he even became involved in the project.  However, it was that statement, spoken to an EPA official, that led to the false-statement charges Umbriac now faces.

“I’m surprised about it more than anybody was,” Umbriac told the Times-Leader newspaper.  “That was over four years ago, I don’t know how they brought it up to this level. It’s incredible.”