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NYC building inspector guilty of extortion

mark handler

mark handler

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NYC building inspector guilty of extortion
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york...-inspector-guilty-extortion-article-1.3187952
A crooked ex-building inspector said he plotted to make property owners and contractors use the excavation company where he quietly was a partner.
Massimo Dabusco copped to conspiracy to commit extortion Monday in Brooklyn federal court.
Though Dabusco, 55, worked as a city Department of Buildings inspector, prosecutors said he was also a silent partner in A&G Contracting Group Corp., a Brooklyn-based demolition and excavation company.
While working as an inspector, Dabusco had property owners and contractors steer their demolition and excavation work to A&G Contracting. Dabusco tipped off contractors when a city inspection was coming up and, in one case, threatened to have a contractor's jobs shut down if the contractor didn't pay fines that A&G Contracting itself got from the Buildings Department.
Dabusco was an inspector for the department from June 2013 to August 2015, when he resigned. According to the November 2016 indictment, the scheme ran from December 2013 to June 2015.
On Monday, Dabusco told Irizarry he was looking to line his pockets and he said he got $6,800 in the arrangement. There's no mandatory prison time for the crime, but federal recommendations say Dabusco could serve between 18 months and two years.
Dabusco and defense attorney Michael Gold declined to comment outside the courtroom.
The case against Vito Menadi, who owned A&G Contracting with his wife, is pending.
 
Keystone said:
What a douchebag!!!!!

This is the type of crap that makes it difficult on our end when business and or homeowners ask for referrals of contractors or design professionals.
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As a contractor I appreciate referrals from inspectors to good subcontractors, I would hope that things like this don't make good inspectors reticent to refer good people to us.
 
Keystone said:
What a douchebag!!!!!

This is the type of crap that makes it difficult on our end when business and or homeowners ask for referrals of contractors or design professionals.
Click to expand...

I usually try to give at least three companies when asked for a referral, but it can be challenging to come up with three names on the spot given the scope of work some people are looking at. We usually state that we can't recommend anyone, but these are the companies we've seen do this kind of work. Some people are smart enough to ask who I would get to do the work.
 
Spot on with tmurray, try to give three, and also tell them this is only the three that I can think of off at the time.
 
The guy got so little for the stupidity. That said though just how many "public servants' have sideline businesses? Here in Alaska there is real opportunities for private inspections. I do not do that but have been asked many a time if I do it. I also could draw up plans and have occasionally for people way out of my jurisdiction but have not for many years.

I try to never recommend contractors for this reason. I work with a lot of good ones and unless I can list them all to someone then my recommendations would be playing favorites. I sure do get asked a lot though.

Lastly, I think the owners should do there own background research before hiring someone. Often the owner simply goes to the lumber yard and asks someone and it is off to the races. The system creates a lot of moonlighters. Not long ago I was called for a rough in plumbing inspection. Pulled up and saw the van with a company I have know for well over 15 years and who has always done good work. While the van was there there was no one on the jobsite. The rough in was bad and I rejected it called the owner and stated so. The next day I saw the van there and stopped by and met with the plumber. He was not happy with me told me he had been doing this a long time etc. I explained what was wrong and left - as I was leaving I thought that this was bad for the normally good plumbing contractor reputation. So the owner is pissed because her project is stalled. Shes calling me to tell me this guy has done lots of work for her in the past rattling off about 3 or 4 projects. Shortly thereafter she calls the company and bangs on their head only to find that this plumber (he was actually hired by the company as a laborer) was moonlighting under the guise of the company. The owner of the company was out of town and upon coming back got the call from the lady. He of course fired the laborer, found out how much materials this guy had run up on these mystery jobs etc. The plumbing company owner called me and told me that is no way was this his company's work and that he would not be involved in the project at all because he was suing the employee and the lady. Another plumber was hired and he ripped all of it out. So the lady was out all of the money she paid the first and was out more to have it redone.

When I need a contractor I know who to call.
 
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Sometimes we just tell people to call us when they've got some quotes and give us the names of their contractors. If we've heard of them, a least they pull permits and have somewhat decent construction. If we haven't heard of them, then they don't get permits and don't follow the law.
 
Yes, our policy is exactly as mentioned. Give 3 names and always remind someone they should ask family, friends and coworkers. The folks I have in my phone that I would consider using myself are the ones they get.
 
A few building departments here in NJ just list any contractor that has pulled permits in the last 6 months in a paper book at the counter.

It simply says who they are....thus if they don't pull permits they are not on the list,

Company name, address and phone number some have type of work.

No favorites and no promoting, just have pulled permits...
 
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