Nanuet roofer faces federal prison, $250K fine for worker's death
WHITE PLAINS - A 41-year-old Nanuet roofer, who has a history of violating federal safety regulations, faces prison and a hefty fine for the 2022 death of a worker at a New Square construction site.
Jose Lema faces six months in prison and a $250,000 fine on his guilty plea Monday to one count of willfully violating safety regulations of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a news release.
His sentencing is scheduled for May 22 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Judith McCarthy in the U.S. District Courthouse in White Plains.
Lema, also known as “Jose Lema Mizhirumbay,” is the founder and principal of ALJ Home Improvement, Inc. in Nanuet, prosecutors said.
Lema has a long history of safety violations and two employee deaths on his record, OSHA and prosecutors said.
From 2019 into 2023, OSHA said inspectors performed eight investigations of ALJ worksites that resulted in the issuance of 24 willful citations, 16 serious citations, and more than $2.3 million in penalties.
Guilty plea covers worker dying at New Square construction site
Lema's guilty plea on Monday covered the death of a worker who with three others was installing a roof on a three-story multi-family apartment building on Feb. 8, 2022, in New Square.
The federal complaint states ALJ employees ascended a ladder to the roof, but within 20 to 30 minutes of arriving one of the men fell 30 feet off the roof.
The man died from his injuries.
While the man wore a safety harness, there was no lanyard, rope, or any other attachment connected to the D-ring on the back of the harness that would have connected him to the roof, the complaint stated. Nor were there anchors on the roof to attach a rope had there been one connected to the harness.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said Lema "endangered the safety of his workers by disregarding regulations and failing to ensure his employees used fall protection systems.
"This conduct led to the tragically avoidable death of a roof worker at a construction site," Williams said. "Failure of small businesses to comply with safety regulations endangers workers and can lead to unnecessary and preventable tragedy ..."
Another Lema employee died after a fall on Feb. 27, 2019, when he slipped off the roof of a newly constructed three-story home in Kiamesha Lake, New York. The worker fell 35 feet to the ground and died from his injuries. OSHA determined the man had not been wearing a safety harness.
Lema's company agreed to pay a penalty for the violations and the man's death.
Steve Lieberman covers government, breaking news, courts, police, and investigations. Reach him at slieberm@lohud.com Twitter: @lohudlegal
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This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Roofer with violations history faces prison, fine for New Square death
