Former DOB inspector busted for fake training certificates

From the Daily News:

A former city buildings inspector was busted Friday for selling fake safety training certificates required to work on high-rises.

The arrest of Michael Dinardo, 52, comes after a series of Daily News probes uncovered a thriving black market in the coveted certificates, which are issued through the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Dinardo, a Buildings Department inspector from 2004 to 2007, was charged in Manhattan Federal Court with selling 47 training cards to city Investigations Department undercover agents who did not complete any training.

The city requires that all hardhats working on buildings of 15 stories or more complete a 10-hour OSHA-approved training course. Workers in certain high-risk operations, including tower crane operators, are required to complete 30 hours of safety training.

Dinardo, an OSHA-authorized instructor for the 10- and 30-hour courses, trafficked in those cards as well as certificates for Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER), in which he had no training.

In January, Dinardo provided undercover investigators with a price list: $100 for a 10-hour card; $275 for a 30-hour card and $325 for a HAZWOPER certificate, prosecutors said.

Dinardo faces five years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted of conspiracy to defraud OSHA.