Prosecutors: Man lacking certification did lead-paint remediation
A Queens man has been arrested and charged with performing lead-paint remediation, without the required certification, on a Freeport home, leading to lead dust spreading throughout the home, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
The man, Rickey Lynch, 58, of the Arverne neighborhood of Queens, and his company Bright Lights Supreme Cleaning Inc. were hired in January 2020 by residents of the home to get rid of the lead paint after the family’s 2-year-old son was found to have elevated levels of toxic lead in his blood.
Rickey Lynch is charged with violating the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976, making false statements and aggravated identity theft.
"Federal regulations require that lead-based paint abatement work be performed and supervised by individuals who have been certified by the EPA. The regulations also establish work practice standards to ensure that lead-based paint removal is done safely. Over the course of several days, Lynch remediated the lead-based paint himself, despite lacking the proper certification to either perform or supervise such work," the release said, referring to the Environmental Protection Agency.
He also allegedly failed to use a high efficiency particulate air, or HEPA, filtration system "that would have contained the spread of toxic dust and debris throughout the house," the release said.
A defense attorney listed in court records, Jonathan Rosenberg of Brooklyn, did not immediately return a message seeking comment Friday evening.
The false statement and identity theft charges are in connection with his responses to the EPA and an allegedly fake subcontractor agreement and other documents "that contained the forged signature of an individual Lynch falsely identified as having supervised the abatement work on the Freeport residence."
He faces up to 15 years in prison, the release said, although defendants can get far less.
Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.
Updated now Newsday travel writer Scott Vogel took the ferry over to Block Island for a weekend of fun.
Updated now Newsday travel writer Scott Vogel took the ferry over to Block Island for a weekend of fun.
