WSC Group

Description

Luis Almonte Sanchez died when a wall fell on him at a construction site in Sunset Park. The subcontractor willfully ignored a cave-in warning that had been isssued shortly prior to the wall collapsing. Sanchez was measuring an area in preparation for work. The soil beneath the foundation wall collapsed, causing a cave-in, and burying Sanchez with dirt and debris, resulting in his death. See indictment in Google Drive for full case details.

Prosecutors:

Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez; Assistant DA Samantha Magnani

Incident Type: Wall/Building Collapse

County: Brooklyn

State: NY

Date: Sept. 12, 2018

Additional Materials

Folder for WSC Group materials

Available Case Materials Include:

Case/Court Decisions Media Clips & Gov't. Press

OSHA inspection detail

Contact for Additional Information:

Unavailable

Victims

First	Last	Age	Title	Employer	Injury Type
Luis	Almonte	47	Construction Worker	WSC Group LLC	Fatality

Defendants

Name	Type	Title	Plea Info.	Conviction Sentence
Cindy Chai	Individual	Bookkeeper, WSC Group LLC	Pleaded not guilty.	Case pending as of 11/22/2019.
	Crimes Charged:		Penal Crimes: Insurance Fraud in the Third Degree (2 counts)	Other Crimes: None
Siu Wah Maria Cheung-Mui\r\n	Individual	Construction Superintendent (hired by Jiaxi Liu, WSC Group)\r\n	Pleaded not guilty.	Case pending as of 11/22/2019.
	Crimes Charged:		Penal Crimes: Criminally Negligent Homicide (one count); Reckless Endangerment in the Second Degree (2 counts); Offering a False Instrument in the First Degree (8 counts)\r\n	Other Crimes: None
WS Construction Inc. \r\n	Entity	Entity	Pleaded not guilty.	Case pending as of 11/22/2019.
	Crimes Charged:		Penal Crimes: Insurance Fraud in the Third Degree (2 counts)	Other Crimes: NYC AC Sec. 11-4003 City Criminal Tax Fraud in the 5th Degree (4 counts); NYC AC Sec. 11-4004 City Criminal Tax Fraud in the 4th Degree (1 count); NYC AC Sec. 11-4005 City Criminal Tax Fraud in the 3rd Degree (1 count)
Jiaxi Liu	Individual	Operator, WSC Group LLC; Former Owner, WS Construction Inc. \r\n	Pleaded not guilty.	Case pending as of 11/22/2019.
	Crimes Charged:		Penal Crimes: Manslaughter in the Second Degree (one count); Criminally Negligent Homicide (one count); Reckless Endangerment in the Second Degree (2 counts); Criminal Mischief in the Fourth Degree (2 counts); Offering a False Instrument in the First Degree (8 counts); Insurance Fraud in the Third Degree (2 counts); Grand Larceny in the Third Degree (2 counts); Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree (1 count); Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Third Degree (1 count)	Other Crimes: Fraudulent Practices, Workers' Compensation Law Sec. 114(3) (1 count); Fraudulent Practices, Workers' Compensation Law Sec. 96 (1 count); NYC AC Sec. 11-4003 City Criminal Tax Fraud in the 5th Degree (4 counts); NYC AC Sec. 11-4004 City Criminal Tax Fraud in the 4th Degree (1 count); NYC AC Sec. 11-4005 City Criminal Tax Fraud in the 3rd Degree (1 count)
Jia Rong Liu\r\n	Individual	Owner, WSC Group LLC\r\n\r\n	Pleaded not guilty.	Case pending as of 11/22/2019.
	Crimes Charged:		Penal Crimes: Reckless Endangerment in the Second Degree (2 counts); Offering a False Instrument in the First Degree (8 counts); Insurance Fraud in the Third Degree (2 counts); Grand Larceny in the Third Degree (2 counts); Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree (1 count); Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Third Degree (1 count)\r\n	Other Crimes: Fraudulent Practices, Workers' Compensation Law Sec. 114(3) (1 count); Fraudulent Practices, Workers' Compensation Law Sec. 96 (1 count); NYC AC Sec. 11-4003 City Criminal Tax Fraud in the 5th Degree (4 counts)\r\n
Wilson Garcia	Individual	Foreman, WSC Group\r\n	Pleaded not guilty.	Case pending as of 11/22/2019.
	Crimes Charged:		Penal Crimes: Manslaughter in the Second Degree (one count); Criminally Negligent Homicide (one count); Reckless Endangerment in the Second Degree (2 counts); Criminal Mischief in the Fourth Degree (2 counts)\r\n	Other Crimes: None\r\n
Paul Bailey	Individual	Owner, Bailey's Engineering PC; Special Inspector on 39th Street Construction Site\r\n	Pleaded not guilty.	Case pending as of 11/22/2019.
	Crimes Charged:		Penal Crimes: Manslaughter in the Second Degree (one count); Criminally Negligent Homicide (one count); Reckless Endangerment in the Second Degree (2 counts)\r\n	Other Crimes: None
WSC Group LLC (formerly WS Construction Inc.)\r\n	Entity	Subcontractor for Construction Site\r\n	Pleaded not guilty.	Case pending as of 11/22/2019.
	Crimes Charged:		Penal Crimes: Manslaughter in the Second Degree (one count); Criminally Negligent Homicide (one count); Reckless Endangerment in the Second Degree (2 counts); Criminal Mischief in the Fourth Degree (2 counts); Insurance Fraud in the Third Degree (2 counts); Grand Larceny in the Third Degree (2 counts); Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree (1 count); Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Third Degree (1 count)	Other Crimes: Fraudulent Practices, Workers' Compensation Law Sec. 114(3) (1 count); Fraudulent Practices, Workers' Compensation Law Sec. 96 (1 count); NYC AC Sec. 11-4003 City Criminal Tax Fraud in the 5th Degree (4 counts)
Baileys Engineering PC	Entity	Entity	Pleaded not guilty.	Case pending as of 11/22/2019.
	Crimes Charged:		Penal Crimes: Manslaughter in the Second Degree (one count); Criminally Negligent Homicide (one count); Reckless Endangerment in the Second Degree (2 counts)	Other Crimes: None