Former Crane Inspector Pleads Guilty

A former inspector at the Department of Buildings pled guilty to taking $10,000 in exchange for falsifying paperwork relating to crane inspections and certifying crane operator exams. James Delayo, a crane and derrick inspector, was arrested after the 2008 crane collapse at 333 E. 91st St. that killed two men. The guilty plea was not related to the incidents on East 91st or East 51st street, however, it was prompted by the additional scrutiny these collapses sparked. Delayo was responsible for inspecting cranes that were smaller than tower cranes involved in the East Side crashes. District Attorney Cy Vance[ recently charged] the owner of New York Crane and Equipment Corp. with manslaughter for the two deaths from the East 91st Street crane collapse. Delayo was accused of taking the money from Michael Sackaris, owner of Nu-Way Crane, between December 2000 and January 2008. The bribes were for filing false paperwork indicating that Nu-Way cranes had passed inspections when the cranes had not been inspected at all. Delayo was also accused of attesting to Nu-Way Crane employee Michael Pascalli"s satisfactory performance on a practical exam that was never administered. â??The defendant"s willful disregard for the safety of this equipment and the skill of crane operators endangered the lives of Manhattan"s residents, visitors and construction workers, Vance said in a statement. â??This is another case where responsibility and safety were trumped by greed. These crimes threaten the industry that built our great city, and this fraud hurts the honest business owners and employees who every day put safety above profit. Delayo could receive a two to six years in prison. The cases of Delayo"s two co-defendents, Nu-Way Crane owner Michael Sackaris and employee Michael Pascalli, are pending.