Summary of Criminal Prosecutions
FISCAL YEAR: 2011
1. PRINCIPAL DEFENDANT: Albania Deleon
D. Massachusetts 07-837-MBB / 07-10277-NMG
D. Massachusetts 07-837-MBB / 07-10277-NMG
From approximately 2001 to 2006, Deleon owned and operated Environmental Compliance Training (ECT), a certified asbestos training school located in Methuen. ECT normally offered training courses on a weekly basis at its Methuen offices, however, many of the recipients of the certificates never took the required course. Instead, with Deleon’s knowledge and approval, ECT’s office employees issued certificates of course completion to thousands of individuals who did not take the course. These individuals filed the certificates with the Massachusetts Division of Occupational Safety in order to be authorized to work in the asbestos removal industry. Many of the recipients were illegal aliens who wished to skip the four-day-long course so that they would not forego a week’s pay.
Since ECT’s training course records were subject to inspection, Deleon sought to cover up ECT’s practice of issuing certificates to untrained applicants by having the applicants sign final examination answer sheets that already had been completed and graded, which she maintained in ECT’s files. Based on the evidence at trial and information supplied by the Division of Occupation Safety, ECT issued training certificates to over 2,000 untrained individuals. Most of the individuals were employed by Methuen Staffing, Deleon’s temporary employment agency that specialized in asbestos abatement. She sent these employees to job sites throughout Massachusetts, including the Boston, Worcester, and New Bedford-Fall River areas, as well as to New Hampshire, Maine, Connecticut and down the eastern seaboard. Deleon paid most of these employees “under-the-table,” that is, without taxes withheld, and reported to the IRS and her workers compensation insurance carriers only those employees that actually had taxes withheld, saving her over a million of dollars in tax and insurance payments. Deleon was originally scheduled to be sentenced on March 23, 2009, but three days before, she fled without warning, eventually making her way out of the United States. On October 30, 2010, law enforcement authorities in the Dominican Republic, working in conjunction with the U.S. Marshal’s Service, arrested her in the capital city of Santo Domingo, where she was living under an alias and had dyed her hair blonde. In November, she was extradited to the United States.
Since ECT’s training course records were subject to inspection, Deleon sought to cover up ECT’s practice of issuing certificates to untrained applicants by having the applicants sign final examination answer sheets that already had been completed and graded, which she maintained in ECT’s files. Based on the evidence at trial and information supplied by the Division of Occupation Safety, ECT issued training certificates to over 2,000 untrained individuals. Most of the individuals were employed by Methuen Staffing, Deleon’s temporary employment agency that specialized in asbestos abatement. She sent these employees to job sites throughout Massachusetts, including the Boston, Worcester, and New Bedford-Fall River areas, as well as to New Hampshire, Maine, Connecticut and down the eastern seaboard. Deleon paid most of these employees “under-the-table,” that is, without taxes withheld, and reported to the IRS and her workers compensation insurance carriers only those employees that actually had taxes withheld, saving her over a million of dollars in tax and insurance payments. Deleon was originally scheduled to be sentenced on March 23, 2009, but three days before, she fled without warning, eventually making her way out of the United States. On October 30, 2010, law enforcement authorities in the Dominican Republic, working in conjunction with the U.S. Marshal’s Service, arrested her in the capital city of Santo Domingo, where she was living under an alias and had dyed her hair blonde. In November, she was extradited to the United States.
March 12, 2008
Deleon was charged with 5 counts of making false statements, a violation of 18 U.S.C. 1001; 6 counts of mail fraud, a violation of 18 U.S.C. 1341; 1 count of conspiracy, a violation of 18 U.S.C. 371; 17 counts of violation the Internal Revenue Code {26 U.S.C. 7206(2)}.
CITATION: 18 U.S.C. 1001, 18 U.S.C. 1341, 26 U.S.C. 7206(2), 42 U.S.C. 7413(c)(4)
November 20, 2008
After a two and a half week trial, Deleon was convicted of one count of conspiracy to make false statements, to encourage illegal aliens to reside in the United States and to hire illegal aliens; 5 counts of making false statements within the jurisdiction of the EPA; 16 counts of procuring false payroll tax returns and 5 counts of mail fraud.
March 23, 2009
Deleon was scheduled to be sentenced, but instead of appearing at the sentencing hearing, she removed her monitoring device, and fled the country for the Dominican Republic.
October 30, 2010
Deleon was arrested in the city of Santo Domingo and was extradited back to the United States.
September 13, 2011
Deleon was sentenced to 87 months incarceration, 36 months probation and was ordered to pay $1,200,939.45 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service and $369,015 to AIM Mutual Insurance Company.
Read more in the EPA Press Release.
STATUTE:
- Title 18 U.S. Criminal Code (TITLE 18)
- Other Federal Statutes (Other)