| TRENTON
– Attorney General Stuart Rabner and
Criminal Justice Director Gregory A. Paw
announced today that two North Jersey contractors
have been charged with fraudulently changing
the dates on expired state registration
certificates in order to work illegally
on public contracts.
The
charges are part of an enhanced enforcement
effort directed by Commissioner of Labor
& Workforce Development David J. Socolow
and the Attorney General to ensure that
contractors comply with state laws enacted
to protect New Jersey’s workforce.
The
contractors were charged with altering registration
certificates under the Public Works Contractor
Registration Act (PWCRA), through which
the state labor commissioner requires public
works contractors to disclose labor law
violations, maintain rigorous employment
records and, in some instances, post surety
bonds to protect workers.
“State
law requires registration of contractors
and subcontractors on public projects in
order to protect workers,” said Attorney
General Rabner. “We will aggressively
investigate and prosecute contractors who
frustrate the purposes of our labor laws
and regulations by falsifying records or
otherwise engaging in fraud.”
“Our
law-abiding contractors and their employees
must be protected from the harm of an uneven
playing field caused by willful violators
of our laws,” said Commissioner Socolow.
“We will continue to identify those
who attempt to cheat the system and work
with the Attorney General’s Office
to ensure that New Jersey’s labor
laws are strictly enforced.”
According
to Director Paw, Joseph Oliveri, 64, of
Paramus, president and owner of Total Air
Systems Inc. of Garfield, pleaded guilty
today before Superior Court Judge Sebastian
Gaeta Jr. in Bergen County to a charge of
third-degree tampering with public records
contained in an accusation filed by the
Division of Criminal Justice. Third-degree
crimes carry a maximum punishment of five
years in state prison and a criminal fine
of up to $15,000.
Oliveri
admitted that after his PWCRA registration
certificate expired on May 2, 2004, he changed
the expiration date on the certificate in
order to receive payment on a $225,000 subcontract
to install an HVAC system at the Essex County
Environmental Center in Roseland between
November 2004 and February 2005.
In
a separate case, the Division of Criminal
Justice obtained a state grand jury indictment
on Sept. 29 charging John Raushi, 77, of
Reeders, Pa., with two counts of third-degree
tampering with public records. Raushi was
president and owner of Sheet Metal Fabricators
Inc. of Cedar Knolls.
An
investigation by the Division of Criminal
Justice determined that Raushi allegedly
changed the date on his company’s
PWCRA registration certificate after it
expired on Nov. 7, 2003 in order to receive
payment on a $42,500 subcontract to install
duct work for an HVAC system at the Bergen
County Technical High School in Paramus
between June and August 2004. Raushi has
since retired. The indictment was handed
up to Superior Court Judge Linda R. Feinberg
in Mercer County.
The
indictment is merely an accusation and the
defendant is presumed innocent until proven
guilty.
The
two cases were investigated by State Investigator
Dino Dettorre. They are being prosecuted
by Deputy Attorney General Steven Zweig.
>> Raushi
indictment (119k pdf) plugin
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