WASHINGTON (2/23/2011) ? John Bostick pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act?s asbestos work practice standards during the renovation of a 204-unit apartment building in Winnetka, Calif., in 2006.

The federal Clean Air Act requires those who own or supervise the renovation of buildings that contain asbestos to adhere to certain established work practice standards. These standards were created to ensure the safe removal and disposal of the asbestos and the protection of workers.

According to the plea agreement filed in federal court, Mr. Bostick knew in January 2006 that asbestos was present in the ceilings of the units of the apartment complex known as Forest Glen. Knowing that the asbestos was there, Mr. Bostick and his co-conspirators hired a group of workers who were not trained or certified to conduct asbestos abatements, and had them scrape the ceilings of the apartment units without telling the workers about the asbestos. The illegal scraping resulted in the repeated release of asbestos-containing material throughout the apartment complex and the surrounding area and also caused the unlicensed workers to potentially be exposed to asbestos. After the illegal asbestos abatement was shut down by an inspector from the California South Coast Air Quality Management District, the asbestos was cleaned up at a cost of about $1.2 million dollars.

On June 14, 2010, Joseph Yoon, the project manager, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act?s asbestos work place standards at the apartment site. A sentencing date has been set for April 25, 2011.