New York Asbestos Worker Will Plead Guilty

January 10, 2007 - The main player in a Syracuse, NY asbestos controversy has agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the federal Clean Air Act.  According to an article in The Post-Standard, all other charges against John Chick, age 64, will be dropped in return for the guilty plea.

Chick has been accused of supervising the alleged illegal removal of asbestos from the Cayuga County Board of Elections last winter.  He was recently arrested for threatening the life of the “whistle blower” in the case, Anthony Garropy.  Charges regarded the death threat will be dropped as well.

"It's pretty clear. This will terminate the investigation on Mr. Chick and any and all other charges will be dismissed," said his lawyer, Paul Carey of Syracuse. "We are anxious to inform the court what occurred on the day Mr. Chick was ordered to remove the boiler and the pipes, who were the actual supervisors who advised him to remove those pipes and how they instructed him to dispose of that material."

U.S. Assistant Attorney Craig Benedict had no comment for the press.

County Legislator Ann Petrus, the spokesperson in regards to the Chick case, said "Personally, I would say that if John has a good attorney, I'm sure he helped him work through this decision. Regarding who said what, who was at fault, who told who to do what . . . I think the EPA and the state are still investigating that and that process will continue on . . . and I can't even begin to try to figure that out."

Some believe that Chick was used as a scapegoat, the article notes, and that he was placed in a difficult position by his superiors.  Chick has alleged that his employers urged him to follow their orders – which included improper removal of the asbestos in question – or risk being fired.  Chick chose the former.

Garropy, a former county worker and the whistle blower in the case, filed a notice of claim against the county last August, alleging that he was exposed to asbestos and fired for telling his supervisors about the problem. Spurred by Gallopy’s suit, more than 30 individuals have notices of claim pending against the county, alleging exposure to the asbestos.