Unlicensed Asbestos Worker Put Kids At Risk, Says Jersey AG

A Jersey man has been charged with dozens of counts of unlicensed asbestos abatement for allegedly performing asbestos work – without a license - at numerous schools and homes.

Fifty year old William Muzzio of Woodbridge was arrested today and formally charged with releasing hazardous asbestos dust and debris at 10 sites, including a daycare center in Union County.

The state began investigating Muzzio and his business, Citadel Environmental Consultants, this past March, after a Union Township daycare facility in Union Township hired him to remove pipe insulation containing asbestos from its basement boiler room. The state Department of Health and Senior Services had inspected the facility and notified its operators that damaged insulation needed to be repaired or removed prior to renewal of the facility’s license.

After Muzzio performed asbestos removal at the facility in February of this year, DHSS checked with the Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development and learned Muzzio was not licensed to perform asbestos abatement, as required by law.

Jersey Attorney General Jeff Chiesa says “by allegedly performing unlicensed and unsafe asbestos removal at a daycare center, this defendant could have put young children and staff at risk -fortunately, state officials discovered the problem and it was quickly addressed. Muzzio was well aware of the dangers posed by asbestos and the fact that a licensed professional must remove it, but we allege that he repeatedly ignored those dangers and risked exposing school children and residents across New Jersey in order to enrich himself.”

Stephen Taylor, who heads up the state Division of Criminal Justice, says “we allege that this unlicensed operator engaged in asbestos abatement using improper and unsafe procedures, resulting in releases of hazardous asbestos-containing material. We will continue to work closely with other state agencies to identify and aggressively prosecute any dishonest operator who violates the laws that are in place in New Jersey to protect the public’s health and the environment.”

Muzzio is currently locked up in the Union County jail, with bail set at 75 thousand dollars.