Pueblo contractor sentenced for demolition of house with asbestos
Colorado contractor Thomas K. Tienda has been sentenced to four years in prison, after his demolition of a Pueblo house led to the airborne release of asbestos. A Pueblo jury convicted Tienda of eight felonies.
“Sheer greed drove Tienda to cut costs at the expense of the public and jeopardized the health of vulnerable members of our society, the homeless,” said Colorado Attorney General John Suthers. “A four-year prison sentence is appropriate and proves that this type of unscrupulous behavior will not go unpunished.”
Instead of hiring properly licensed contractors to safely demolish a multi-family house, Tienda hired homeless individuals and handymen to remove asbestos-containing materials to save money. Mr. Tienda hid the fact that his building contained asbestos from all of his workers. The demolition work, which also lacked the proper permit from the City of Pueblo, resulted in the release of asbestos into the air. In addition to intentionally exposing his workers to asbestos, Tienda’s conviction also stemmed from reusing some of the asbestos-contaminated materials from the demolition as fill for potholes at his other properties.
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