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DOI Commissioner Garnett said Nebedum “had a duty to protect workers and the public; instead, according to the charges, he put their health at risk…”
By Michael V. Cusenza
A City Department of Environmental Protection inspector has been charged with engaging in a long-term bribery relationship with an asbestos abatement contractor, City and State officials announced on Monday.
Samuel Nebedum, 66, was arraigned on Monday in Queens on a criminal complaint charging him with bribe receiving in the second degree and official misconduct. He was released on his own recognizance and ordered to return to court on Jan. 11.
According to a joint State Attorney General and City Department of Investigation probe, Nebedum allegedly accepted cash bribes, meals, and fish in exchange for providing various benefits to the contractor, including intentionally overlooking violations at the contractor’s worksites and the referral of additional abatement business for more than 10 years.
According to the complaint, Nebedum has been a DEP inspector for 28 years, and during the course of his employment allegedly accepted over $10,000 in bribes from a contractor during that time. The complaint alleges that in exchange for these bribes, Nebedum used his position as an inspector to give advance notice prior to official DEP inspections taking place at this contractor’s jobsites, ignored asbestos removal violations at this contractor’s jobsites, and referred additional business to the contractor, which stemmed from his official jobsite visits—all in violation of DEP policy.
Nebedum “had a duty to protect workers and the public,” said DOI Commissioner Margaret Garnett. “Instead, according to the charges, he put their health at risk, failing to stop the dangerous and improper removal of asbestos.”
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, asbestos is a mineral fiber that naturally occurs in rock and soil. Asbestos fibers may be released into the air by the disturbance of asbestos-containing material during product use, demolition work, building or home maintenance, repair, and remodeling. Exposure to asbestos, the EPA said, increases your risk of developing lung disease. Three of the major health effects associated with asbestos exposure are lung cancer; mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer that is found in the thin lining of the lung, chest and the abdomen and heart; and asbestosis, a serious progressive, long-term, non-cancer disease of the lungs.
According to prosecutors, DEP is the primary City agency responsible for the regulation of the asbestos abatement industry. Proper abatement procedures involve requiring all workers at a jobsite to wear Personal Protective Equipment, which includes a protective mask and hazmat suit; wetting down all Asbestos Containing Material when removed, so as to prevent asbestos from becoming airborne; the setting up of a proper decontamination unit with proper air-monitoring equipment, to ensure the work area does not have air containing ACM escaping; and the dumping of materials containing ACM at designated disposal facilities. According to the complaint filed on Monday, Nebedum allegedly ignored these regulations during the course of this bribery scheme, putting the health of many workers and city residents at risk for inhaling and ingesting asbestos.
“As we allege, [Nebedum] abused his position by shamelessly accepting bribes—not only violating the public trust, but also jeopardizing New Yorkers’ health and safety,” State Attorney General Barbara Underwood added.
