30 criminals found work in NJ after being barred from the trash business in NY
After getting mixed up with the mob in New York City more than a decade ago, Frank Fiumefreddo pleaded guilty to corruption and was put on probation for helping run a garbage-hauling business tied to the Gambino crime family.
New York State banned Fiumefreddo from the industry, so he came to New Jersey and kept on trucking.
In a report made public Tuesday, the State Commission of Investigation said Fiumefreddo was one of 30 criminals who found work in New Jersey after being permanently barred from the trash business in New York.
The unsavory and often cozy relationship between the mob and the waste-management industry is a classic New Jersey tale, immortalized by "The Sopranos." And though Fiumefreddo denied his ties to organized crime in a response included in the report, the commission said the problem is real.
The report said rules intended to keep mobsters out of the garbage industry are riddled with loopholes, and that criminals have circumvented background checks and taken advantage of state agencies lacking manpower and money.
Those barred in New York cross the Hudson and operate behind the guise of legitimate companies, make money through real estate or equipment leased to waste companies, or have a stake in firms owned by relatives, the report said.
"Of particular concern is the vulnerability to corruption of certain activities, such as the recycling and disposal of contaminated soil and demolition debris," the report said, both of which pose serious risks to the environment and public health.
The commission also found that criminals were increasingly entering the recycling industry, a lucrative target with few regulations that has "no systemic oversight," according to the report.
The Attorney General’s office, which oversees the industry with the Department of Environmental Protection, said it was not aware of "systematic instances" in which organized crime had a foothold, a spokesman, Leland Moore, said. Regulations established over the years have blocked more than 60 companies and people from the industry since 2005, according to the report.
Michael Drewniak, a spokesman for Gov. Chris Christie, noted that steps had already been taken to investigate and, where appropriate, to remove criminals from the state’s solid waste industry based on the commission’s findings.
He said the governor was confident the administration could "effectively manage available resources to properly regulate the solid waste and recycling industries."
In 1969, the commission found that organized crime in New York was spreading into commercial garbage collection in New Jersey, and warned that the industry was at risk of becoming subject to corruption.
In response, the Legislature passed a law requiring the state to regulate the industry for the first time. The commission also recommended vetting and licensing all solid waste haulers, which took effect in 1986.
But those efforts have largely failed, the commission found, and said new action is required.
The commission recommended that the Legislature and the governor expand the use of background checks for employees in the garbage industry, and require them of employees in the recycling industry.
It also suggested that more money go toward enforcement to reduce backlogs for screening applicants, and that oversight be consolidated under the Attorney General’s Office. In addition, the commission recommended compiling a centralized list of criminals barred from doing business in New Jersey.
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/12/man_tied_to_gambino_ny_crime_f.html
New York State banned Fiumefreddo from the industry, so he came to New Jersey and kept on trucking.
In a report made public Tuesday, the State Commission of Investigation said Fiumefreddo was one of 30 criminals who found work in New Jersey after being permanently barred from the trash business in New York.
The unsavory and often cozy relationship between the mob and the waste-management industry is a classic New Jersey tale, immortalized by "The Sopranos." And though Fiumefreddo denied his ties to organized crime in a response included in the report, the commission said the problem is real.
The report said rules intended to keep mobsters out of the garbage industry are riddled with loopholes, and that criminals have circumvented background checks and taken advantage of state agencies lacking manpower and money.
Those barred in New York cross the Hudson and operate behind the guise of legitimate companies, make money through real estate or equipment leased to waste companies, or have a stake in firms owned by relatives, the report said.
"Of particular concern is the vulnerability to corruption of certain activities, such as the recycling and disposal of contaminated soil and demolition debris," the report said, both of which pose serious risks to the environment and public health.
The commission also found that criminals were increasingly entering the recycling industry, a lucrative target with few regulations that has "no systemic oversight," according to the report.
The Attorney General’s office, which oversees the industry with the Department of Environmental Protection, said it was not aware of "systematic instances" in which organized crime had a foothold, a spokesman, Leland Moore, said. Regulations established over the years have blocked more than 60 companies and people from the industry since 2005, according to the report.
Michael Drewniak, a spokesman for Gov. Chris Christie, noted that steps had already been taken to investigate and, where appropriate, to remove criminals from the state’s solid waste industry based on the commission’s findings.
He said the governor was confident the administration could "effectively manage available resources to properly regulate the solid waste and recycling industries."
In 1969, the commission found that organized crime in New York was spreading into commercial garbage collection in New Jersey, and warned that the industry was at risk of becoming subject to corruption.
In response, the Legislature passed a law requiring the state to regulate the industry for the first time. The commission also recommended vetting and licensing all solid waste haulers, which took effect in 1986.
But those efforts have largely failed, the commission found, and said new action is required.
The commission recommended that the Legislature and the governor expand the use of background checks for employees in the garbage industry, and require them of employees in the recycling industry.
It also suggested that more money go toward enforcement to reduce backlogs for screening applicants, and that oversight be consolidated under the Attorney General’s Office. In addition, the commission recommended compiling a centralized list of criminals barred from doing business in New Jersey.
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/12/man_tied_to_gambino_ny_crime_f.html
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