Virginia Man Faces 25 Year Sentence in Asbestos Case

September 27, 2006 - A man from Roanoke, Virginia has been indicted by a federal grand jury for improperly removing and dumping asbestos during renovation of a downtown Roanoke building last year.  The defendant, John Edward Callahan, age 55, faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in federal prison and a fine of $1.25 million.

U.S. Attorney John Brownlee told the Roanoke Times that Callahan, who wasn't licensed or trained to handle asbestos, “knowingly endangered three homeless men he hired by failing to properly train and equip them to remove the hazardous material during renovation of the State & City Building in February 2005.”

"It's just a tragedy that this defendant would prey upon these folks who are some of the most vulnerable citizens in our society," Brownlee said. "They did his dirty work ... so he could make an extra buck."

The indictment outlines the events that led to the EPA charging Callahan with violations to the Clean Air Act.  Allegedly, Callahan gave three homeless men rain gear, half-face respirators and $10 an hour to do the work. He told the men, who were obviously untrained in asbestos removal, to tear out the asbestos without wetting it which, in turn, created a cloud of hazardous fibers in the basement. The men also took breaks and ate snacks and meals in the basement, covered by dangerous asbestos dust.

The asbestos, which was removed from the ceiling and pipes over the course of three days, was then put in garbage bags and taken to the city landfill. The job was later completed by a licensed asbestos removal company for $12,000, according to the indictment.

The investigation took on a new twist when Callahan told authorities and The Roanoke Times that he had removed asbestos “for years” from Southwest Virginia job sites and did not realize he needed an asbestos license.

According to court records, Callahan advertised his asbestos-removal services in the Yellow Pages and on the Internet, claiming to have an asbestos license as well as extensive experience in asbestos abatement.

Investigators note that Callahan told them he felt qualified to handle asbestos after seeing other people do it and reading about it in trade journals.