2 men indicted on charges of using inmates to illegally remove asbestos from former hospital

TRENTON — Two demolition contractors were indicted Wednesday for using inmates from a halfway house to illegally remove asbestos from a former South Jersey hospital, causing the release of toxic dust and debris, the state Attorney General’s Office said.
A state grand jury indicted Frank J. Rizzo, 53, of Parlin, and Michael Kouvaras, 59, of Maplewood, and the company they operate, Deuteron Capital, doing business as South Street Fillit Recycling of Riverside, the office said in a news release. From August 2010 to March 2011, Rizzo and Kouvaras allegedly used day laborers, including inmates from Clinton House in Trenton, to remove asbestos from the former Zurbrugg Memorial Hospital in Riverside without a permit and without properly protecting workers.
State authorities said the two men directed their unlicensed workers to remove the asbestos, bury about 50 bags of it and dump other bags on a boiler room floor to make it appear as if vandals had removed the asbestos while stealing copper and steel. "These men knew there was asbestos throughout this old hospital and knew the real dangers involved in removing it, but we allege that they put their monetary self-interest ahead of the health and safety of their workers and the surrounding community," Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa said in a statement.
An attorney for Rizzo did not immediately return a message seeking comment, and an attorney for Kouvaras could not be reached for comment.
Rizzo, Kouvaras and their company are charged with unlawfully causing the release of a toxic pollutant, abandonment of toxic pollutants and violating the Asbestos Control and Licensing Act, the Attorney General’s Office said. The most serious charges carry a maximum 10 years in prison.

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