Earth Research Laboratories, a Peekskill, New York-based company holding itself out as a licensed asbestos-testing firm is now under investigation by the State of New York. The owner of Earth Research Laboratories, Dominic Perruccio, was charged Oct. 27 with a felony.
The Peekskill police, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, and state and district departments of health have each been investigating the company and Perruccio.
From March 2007 to October 2008
The state certification of Earth Research Laboratories as an asbestos-testing company was suspended in March 2007 based on various infractions of state laws regarding asbestos.
At Perruccio’s Oct. 24 arraignment, he was charged with a single count of scheming to defraud, based on the allegation that from March 2007 to October 2008 he operated Earth Research Laboratories and provided asbestos testing services without a license. He performed asbestos testing in:
- homes
- public buildings
- commercial workplaces
Air Testing Equipment Found
A search warrant for the company’s premises in Peekskill, a small town about 40 miles from New York City, resulted in the discovery of air sample canisters. Such canisters are used during asbestos abatement work for determining air quality. It is not yet known how many buildings and asbestos projects the Earth Research Laboratories provided services to without being properly licensed during the March 2007 – October 2008 period.
Potential Four-Year Prison Term
According to Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore, Perruccio faces a four-year prison sentence if he is convicted of the fraud charge. He is due back in Westchester County Nov. 3.