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Juan Quevedo-Garcia, 42, of Palisades Park "deliberately failed to pay the fines and displayed a total disregard for the safety of his workers and for the law," Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker said.
In doing so, he "continually put workers at risk of serious injuries or worse" at four different job sites in Bergen County, a federal complaint charges.
Quevedo-Garcia had already racked up more than $700,000 in unpaid penalties to OSHA when he dissolved Frame Q LLC and continued doing business under a similar name, authorities said on Thursday, March 10.
A series of inspections followed that uncovered a string of violations -- and produced a series of substantial fines.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration identified "eight willful, 10 repeat, and 12 serious violations" during five inspections, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
These included:
- failure to use fall, head and eye protection;
- unsafe use of stepladders;
- scaffolding, housekeeping and fire safety deficiencies;
- lack of stair rails;
- lack of forklift training.
The first inspection came in response to a complaint at a worksite in Cliffside Park that resulted in nine safety violations and a $520,860 penalty, the Labor Department said. The second, at a Fort Lee location, resulted in five citations and a penalty of $426,785.
OSHA issued five safety citations with a $405,588 proposed penalty at a subsequent inspection at another Cliffside Park location, the Labor Department reported.
Then came two additional inspections in Palisades Park -- one of which produced a $274,892 penalty for three violations and another that resulted in eight violations and a $369,000 penalty, the department said.
Quevedo-Garcia, owner and principal of BB Frame LLC, contested the citations.
However, the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission administrative judge granted summary judgment to the agency, holding Quevedo-Garcia personally liable for the citations and penalty payments, federal authorities said.
“Among construction industry employers, Juan Quevedo-Garcia and his shell companies have been the most prominent OSHA scofflaws in New Jersey in the past decade," said Solicitor of Labor Seema Nanda. "The administrative law judge’s decision stops this employer from ignoring safety in the future and sets a critical precedent that the U.S. Department of Labor will use every enforcement and legal tool available against serial violators who attempt to evade federal safety laws with corporate shell games."
Quevedo-Garcia is also facing local prosecution following his arrest in December 2019 on charges of money laundering and failing to pay state taxes.
SEE: Bergen Pair Charged With Laundering $5.7 Million
OSHA’s Hasbrouck Heights Area Office conducted the five inspections. Senior Trial Attorney Alexander Kondo, Trial Attorney Carina De La Paz and Senior Trial Attorney Andrew Karonis of the regional Office of the Solicitor in New York litigated the case for the department.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to ensure these conditions for America's workers by setting and enforcing standards and providing training, education and assistance, the Labor Department said.
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