Conviction:On fake asbestos certificates issued to IAs

Jury convicts asbestos school president of issuing fake certificates to illegal immigrants

Brian Fraga
By Brian Fraga
Standard-Times staff writer
November 25, 2008 6:00 AM
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A federal jury has convicted the president of a Methuen asbestos training school of selling training certificates to hundreds of illegal immigrants who had not completed the required training course.

Prosecutors said several people who received the fraudulent certificates were illegal immigrants from New Bedford. They worked overseeing asbestos removal at demolition and construction sites throughout Massachusetts.

Albania Deleon, 38, is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 17 in U.S. District Court in Boston.

She faces more than 20 years in federal prison after being convicted Thursday on a host of charges that include conspiracy to make false statements, encouraging illegal aliens to reside in the United States and hiring illegal aliens.

In closing arguments, U.S. Attorney Jonathan F. Mitchell said Ms. Deleon "cheated the system" by procuring fake driver's licenses and Social Security cards for her employees.

She paid them "under the table" and neglected to report their payroll information to the Internal Revenue Service or her workers compensation insurers, prosecutors said.

"She did this to skip out on payroll taxes and insurance payments.

"The majority of people on her payroll were illegal immigrants who needed money and were willing to forgo asbestos training so they wouldn't lose a week's pay."

From 2001 to 2006, Ms. Deleon owned and operated Environmental Compliance Testing, one of the largest certified asbestos training schools in Massachusetts.

Prosecutors said she routinely issued asbestos certificates to people who did not attend required training courses or pass the test. She arranged for them to receive fraudulent certificates in exchange for $400.

The regular cost of the course and exams was $350.

"The potential health risks associated with untrained workers doing this kind of work is very disturbing" said Bruce M. Foucart, special agent in charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Office of Investigations in Boston.

"Couple this with the fact that most of the employees were in the U.S. illegally with unknown backgrounds, and you have a mix that makes for a significant public safety threat."

Contact Brian Fraga at bfraga@s-t.com
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"The majority of people on her payroll were illegal immigrants who needed money and were willing to forgo asbestos training so they wouldn't lose a week's pay."


There was more behind this than the unwillingness to lose a week's pay.

For one, it is unlikely that any of these illegal aliens have the literacy required to legitimately pass such a course.

Secondly, this is just another prime example of the willingness on the part of IAs to LIE and CHEAT their way through life to bilk everything out of this country they possibly can.

They should be in jail right along with her. But since they are now probably running around using fake identities issued by her, good luck ever finding them :evil:

Asbestos removal requires highly specialized hazardous waste training. Aside from the fraud that was committed. This was a danger to anyone in the vicinity of any buildings they worked on. Everyone involved should go to prison :o

Besides asbestos removal, there are plenty of jobs that require high degrees of hazmat training, like pesticide work on farm fields. Since farm fields are mostly worked by "guest workers" there is no telling what has entered our food supply.