The Department of Buildings issued a total of $90,000 in fines to companies and property owners operating in Queens in May, according to a department announcement.
Additionally, one engineer in the borough voluntarily surrendered his professional certification after the department found he had a history of non-compliance.
Among the violations to occur in Queens were the unsafe operation of a crane, failure to provide overhead protection at a construction site, an illegal apartment and falsified records stating an elevator alarm had been fixed when, in fact, it was still broken.
The biggest penalty went to Camille Stephenson, the owner of 141-18 250th St., Jamaica, who was slapped with a $50,400 fine for illegally altering a two-family home into a three-family home.
The fine included penalties for having illegal gas plumbing work in the cellar of the building. Stephenson had failed to comply with previous orders to correct the violations, the department said.
DLC Development was issued a $10,000 fine for operating a crane too close to power lines at 37-27 12th St., Long Island City.
Another construction company, Top 8 Construction Corp., failed to provide overhead protection at its construction site located at 37-09 College Point Blvd., Flushing, and were fined $10,000 as a result.
Ryan Bartoni, a construction superintendent working at 58-62 262nd St., Glen Oaks, was given $10,000 in penalties after the Department of Buildings claimed he had failed to perform his required duties at the construction site.
“There was no competent person designated for the site, and daily log books with worker certifications were not being properly kept,” the department said.
Kone Elevator, a company headquartered in Finland but with offices in Long Island City, saw their fines go up when the department found Kone had filed two false documents stating that they had fixed a malfunctioning elevator alarm and an inoperative elevator car phone. They were charged $9,600 in fines.
Naresh Mahangu, an engineer in Queens, voluntarily surrendered his professional certification after a Department of Buildings audit found a history of non-compliance.
Mahangu was found to have failed to comply with accessibility requirements for people with disabilities, exit requirements and other violations related to zoning.
