A Forest Hills woman was arrested and charged with multiple counts of forgery and a slew of other charges including perjury by allegedly helping construction companies to bypass safety measures at dozens of Queens locations.
Evelyn Dellutri, 55, allegedly filed a variety of forged documents with the city’s Department of Buildings that made it appear that they had been prepared by a professional engineer.
The city’s Department of Investigation, acting on a tip, discovered Dellutri allegedly submitted nearly 70 forged documents between November 2015 and August 2015 to the DOB which fraudulently bore the stamp of a professional engineer. The investigation resulted in the recovery of the professional engineer’s stamp which was found in Dellutri’s home.
“In allegedly forging the credentials of a professional engineer, this defendant potentially compromised the integrity of commercial construction projects and attempted to circumvent a process meant to keep city construction safe, according to the charges,” DOI Commissioner Margaret Gannett said. “These actions led to plans being submitted with missing drawings and other problems that could have posed risks to the reliability of the construction work.”
Work at dozens of Queens construction was put on hold and remain pending, according to the DOI. The Queens District Attorney’s office is prosecuting the case.
“The defendant in this case is accused of using a professional stamp in a fraudulent manner, sidestepping procedures and a key safety feature,” Chief Assistant District Attorney John M. Ryan said. “These professional stamps are a key component in verifying that a competent, licensed professional has certified that construction plans are in compliance with applicable city codes and rules. This kind of malfeasance will not be tolerated.”
If convicted on all charges, Dellutri faces a maximum of up to three to seven years in prison, according to the Queens DA’s office.
