Trial starts in deadly 2008 crane collapse

The prosecutor in the manslaughter trial of a construction magnate Tuesday portrayed the defendant as a greedy, careless millionaire whose refusal to properly repair a faulty crane cost the lives of two workers when it collapsed in 2008 on East 91st Street.

James Lomma, owner of New York Crane & Equipment Corp., was "concerned about the bottom line and nothing else," assistant district attorney Eli Cherkasky told the Manhattan Supreme Court in opening arguments, according to the New York Post. Lomma's refusal to obey orders by the NYC Department of Buildings led to the deaths of Ramadan Kurtaj, 27, and Donald Leo, 30, Cherkasky said.

Lomma, who faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted, has insisted the disaster was an accident.