Brooklyn Man Who Flouted Gas Safety Rules Heads To Prison

BROOKLYN, NY — A former National Grid worker who ran a company that illegally installed gas meters in Bedford-Stuyvesant and several other neighborhoods will go to prison for up to seven years, Brooklyn prosecutors said. Weldon "Al" Findlay, 48, was sentenced Wednesday in Brooklyn following his guilty plea on charges stemming from his operation of the "shadow" utility company, prosecutors said.

Findlay, of Brooklyn, flouted safety rules by setting up the installation of nearly three dozen gas meters at Brooklyn and Queens properties, helping landlords avoid mandated inspections, prosecutors said.

"Today’s sentence holds accountable this defendant who tried to profit from Brooklyn’s booming real estate market by developing this fraudulent scheme to illegally speed up work on properties and violate required safety protocols," Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a statement.

The city Department of Buildings requires an inspector or licensed plumber to make sure buildings' gas lines have been installed properly. National Grid is supposed to check the city's Building Information System database to confirm the inspection was done before installing a meter and turning on gas service, according to prosecutors.

But landlords who wanted to bypass those inspections for new or renovated apartments, either to save money or get gas more quickly, could call Findlay to illegally arrange for gas service in exchange for cash, the DA's office said.

Findlay, who worked for National Grid until 2010, coordinated illegal gas meter installations at 33 residential properties in Brooklyn and Queens from January through June 2016, prosecutors said.

There's no safety risk at any of the buildings, which are located in Williamsburg, Bed-Stuy, Bushwick, Brooklyn Heights, Crown Heights, Midwood, Borough Park and parts of Queens, the DA's office said.

Findlay pleaded guilty last February to one count each of enterprise corruption andfalsifying business records, prosecutors said. Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun sentenced him Wednesday to 2 1/3 to seven years in prison.

(Lead image: Weldon "Al" Findlay was sentenced to up to seven years in prison. Photo courtesy of the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office)