Two New Jersey men – a federal OSHA inspector and his brother – have been charged with extortion and conspiracy, after seeking money from a construction employer in exchange for relief in enforcement. The OSHA Inspector – Alvarado Idrovo – was assigned to the Parsippany, NJ, office and was charged in federal court.
The US Department of Justice issued a press release on the indictment, which notes that the inspector offered to sell one contractor training certificates for $6,000 in cash (paid to the inspector’s brother, posing as a vendor, and negotiated down from an original $13,000 demand) to avoid “big fines and possible jail” which he told the employer could result from his alleged violations. That contractor notified officials, and participated in recording further extortion discussions, with permission of law enforcement. The defendants face up to five years in prison and $250,000 in fines.
Federal authorities charged both men with “knowingly and intentionally conspiring to commit an offense against the United States, specifically to commit an act of extortion under color of Alvaro Idrovo’s office or employment with OSHA.”
Companies cited by Inspector Idrovo in NJ during the period at issue (Spring 2020) should notify authorities if they were subject to similar extortion efforts. The indictment will also no doubt impact the credibility of the inspector should any of the cases in which he is involved proceed to a hearing. For more information, contact Adele Abrams at safetylawyer@gmail.com.
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