Man indicted for improper asbestos removal

BAYONNE, N.J. (WABC) -- A man from New Jersey has been indicted for improper asbestos removal.

Investigators say he was hired by several schools and day care facilities to remove the dangerous material.

They say not only did he do the work improperly, he wasn't even licensed.

Investigators allege that 50-year-old William Muzzio, Jr. put lives at risk in order to enrich himself.

According to prosecutors, his company, Citadel Environmental Consultants, performed asbestos control work on homes, businesses and even a day care center.

It is work that authorities say he wasn't licensed to do.

According to the New Jersey State Attorney General, "by allegedly performing unlicensed and unsafe asbestos removal at a day care center, this defendant could have put young children and staff at risk."

Law enforcement officials began investigating Muzzio, a Woodbridge resident, in March of this year.

It was long after his company worked on a home in Bayonne.

A source tells Eyewitness News that a state worker recently visited the home to take air samples.

The home is listed among those in which Muzzio is alleged to have unlawfully caused the release of asbestos.

According to the indictment, he's been charged with releasing hazardous asbestos dust and debris at 10 sites including a day care center in Union County.

But the state attorney general's office believes they intervened in time by zeroing in on Muzzio's company.

Licensed asbestos control companies then stepped in to perform the work properly.

Muzzio's bail has been set at $75,000. If he's convicted he faces up to 10 years behind bars and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines.

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