However, despite warnings of dangerous conditions at the site from workers and adjacent property owners, Liu refused to stop work, González said. Subsequently, in the early afternoon of Sept. 12, 2018, part of a support of excavation system and an existing masonry wall collapsed, trapping one of the construction workers -- Luis Almonte Sánchez -- who was performing foundation work.
According to the evidence, Lui and García were mandated by law to make sure that the construction site was in compliance with DOB and Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations in order to provide a safe work site. However, Gonzalez said, the site was not in compliance and failed to follow the design plans submitted and approved by the DOB.
In addition, the district attorney's office said that WSC defrauded the New York State Insurance Fund by making false statements about who it was employing, and also committed tax fraud by failing to file taxes between 2015 and 2018.