More Big Dig charges brought

The Boston Globe ^ | June 21, 2008 | Sean P. Murphy and Jonathan Saltzman

[george76]

The US Attorney's office in Boston yesterday brought a raft of criminal charges against the Big Dig's largest contractor, saying it knew that bolts were coming loose in the ceiling of the Interstate 90 tunnel but glossed over the problem until panels came crashing down in 2006, killing motorist Milena Del Valle.

The government also accused the company, Modern Continental Corp., of systematically cheating on the bills for labor and materials it submitted. And it said a water-gushing wall breach in 2004 was a result of shoddy concrete workmanship, which it said Modern Continental knew about but ignored.

Prosecutors said they brought the charges late yesterday after plea negotiations with the company broke down. The company denied the accusations in a statement issued last night, calling them "completely unfounded and without merit."

The company said in the statement that it had performed its work according to contract plans and specifications.

"The charges represent an attempt after the fact to criminalize actions that were either approved by the project manager and state authorities or represented bookkeeping errors that the company ultimately addressed,"

Federal prosecutors say they determined that Modern Continental did not properly fill out 210 of 230 forms documenting concrete work ...

Besides the shoddy work, the company is accused of engaging in a scheme to overbill the project by claiming pay for workers classified as experienced "journeymen," when they were in fact apprentices. Prosecutors did not disclose the total costs of the alleged padded billing.

[george76]

[driftdiver]

When will the politicians behind this boondoggle be jailed?

[george76]

[IronJack]

Now THAT’S a latter-day Laurel and Hardy! Or Whore-el and Lardy.

[FatherofFive]

When will the politicians behind this boondoggle be jailed?

When conservative republicans take over in Mass.

[Leisler]

The important thing is that Mass Political/Union/Democrat/Republican Crime Family was able to steal 14 billion and counting dollars. So what if one out of 20,000 members of the syndicate goes to jail? Them is great odds! Onwards and upwards with the next ‘Project’. Health Care anyone? (If you can't manage the paperwork on dirt digging and concrete pouring, imagine heath care!)

[ASOC]

Thieving contractor doing substandadrd work.

Shoddy materials badly done. Thank goodness these same contractors did not build a new nuke plant, I would hate for the "containment" dome to collapse..... Oh, wait!

[Calvin Locke]

Howie Carr wrote a column about one of the highest paid workers one year. An unlicensed electrician that just happened to be the father of some pol. $180K sticks in my mind.

I still think the Thomas P. O'Neill Jr. Tunnels should be renamed to the Thomas P. O'Neill Jr. Taxpayer Shaft.

[02slider]

Kerry, Kennedy and AIG, again!

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/president/articles/2004/02/05/critics_question_candidates_links_to_projects_insurer/

[FlyVet]

Mass Political/Union/Democrat/Republican Crime Family was able to steal 14 billion and counting dollars.

The same kind of people who want to take over and run Evil Big Oil.