Nassau Contractor Admits To Dumping 80,000 Pounds Of Debris

A Valley Stream man pleaded guilty on Tuesday to illegally dumping 80,000 pounds of construction debris on the side of Jerusalem Avenue in Uniondale last year, which cost municipalities more than $15,000 to clean.

Jose Cruz Maltez, 40, and his company, L&J Stucco Inc. pleaded guilty to dumping the debris on a strip between Jerusalem Avenue and the Meadowbrook State Parkway. The company was given a $1,500 fine and has to pay $15,507.71 for the labor and equipment to clean up the mess in addition to the dumping fees it would have otherwise had to pay.

Maltez pleaded guilty to third-degree criminal trespassing and was sentenced to a conditional discharge, so long as the restitution is paid.

“New York’s environmental laws ensure there are safe and legal avenues to dispose of construction debris to protect public health and the environment," said Basil Seggos, the commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation. "There is a cost to dispose of these materials, and in this case, the defendant attempted to pass that cost along to New York’s taxpayers by dumping this material on State owned lands. With the support of the Nassau County District Attorney’s office, DEC investigators swiftly identified the perpetrator and brought him to justice, and now we’re initiating the cleanup of the site to mitigate the damage to our environment.”

On April 24, 2017, the Department of Transportation contacted the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation regarding the illegal dumping of construction and demolition debris found on vacant land along the south side of Jerusalem Avenue, bordered to the west by the Meadowbrook State Parkway, in Uniondale. DEC investigators responded to the location and found four piles of debris weighing 80,000 pounds and measuring about 9 feet wide by 106 feet long by 5 feet high.

An investigation by DEC traced the debris back to a residential address in Forest Hills, Queens where demolition was occurring. The investigation also revealed the company completing the construction and demolition at the site had hired Maltez, the owner of L&J Stucco, to haul away their waste from the site. The company also paid L&J Stucco for the cost of disposal at an authorized facility in addition to L&J Stucco's fee.

Illegal dumping can contaminate not only the dumping site and require costly cleanup, but harmful contaminants can seep into the water table below as well. In addition, dumping on public lands results in additional burdens on taxpayers. A fence was also erected at the site to prevent further incidents of a similar nature.

Photos: Nassau County District Attorney's Office