Pueblo landlord gets 4 years for hiring…
Pueblo landlord gets 4 years for hiring homeless to remove asbestos
By The Denver Post | newsroom@denverpost.com
August 17, 2012 at 11:52 a.m.
A Pueblo landlord was sentenced to four years in state prison for hiring homeless people to remove asbestos from the condemned multi-family home he was demolishing .
Thomas K. Tienda, 49, was convicted on eight felonies in the case prosecuted by the Colorado Attorney General's Office.
The work between May 1, 2007, and July 11, 2007, led to the airborne distribution of asbestos, a toxic fiber that can cause lung illnesses that lead to death.
"Sheer greed drove Tienda to cut costs at the expense of the public and jeopardized the health of vulnerable members of our society, the homeless," said Colorado Attorney General John Suthers said in a statement Friday. "A four-year prison sentence is appropriate and proves that this type of unscrupulous behavior will not go unpunished."
He was convicted last October, and his sentence includes credit for 232 days of time served.
Public records show Tienda has bought and sold numerous homes and other properties in Pueblo, some he bought for as little as $15,000.
Prosecutors said Tienda lacked proper permits and hired homeless men instead of licensed professionals to do the hazardous work. He did not tell the workers the building contained asbestos, prosecutors said.
Besides releasing asbestos during the demolition, Tienda also used asbestos-contaminated debris to fill for potholes at his other properties.
"There is no safe level of exposure to asbestos," stated Jeff Martinez, acting special agent in charge of EPA's criminal enforcement program in Colorado. "The defendant not only employed unsafe asbestos removal practices, he also tried to cover up his illegal actions. This sentence should send a clear message that the EPA will continue working closely with our state enforcement partners to prosecute those who violate the law and place their private gains over the public's well being."
The Denver Post is a nine-time Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper that has covered the Rocky Mountain Empire since 1892.
newsroom@denverpost.com