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Baltimore Man Pleads Guilty to Obstruction of Justice

Release Date: 8/21/2000
Contact Information: Donna Heron, 215-814-5113 or Assistant U.S. Attorney John S. Davis 804-819-5515

Donna Heron, 215-814-5113 or John Davis, 804-819-5515

RICHMOND, Va. – Edwin J. “Tommy” Hayes, 54, of Baltimore, Md., pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to obstructing justice in connection with a federal criminal investigation into the sale of fraudulent asbestos training certificates.

Hayes is scheduled for sentencing Nov. 10 and faces a maximum penalty of five years in jail and a $250,000 fine. He was released on bond, pending sentencing.

In 1997, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the FBI investigated a scheme to sell fraudulent asbestos training certificates in an attempt to circumvent federal and state laws requiring asbestos workers to be properly trained and certified in asbestos inspection, removal and abatement activities.

The investigation revealed that Hayes authorized the purchase of fraudulent training certificates for Coastal Lead and Asbestos Abatement, Inc. in Baltimore. During the investigation, Hayes was overheard directing his certificate supplier “to lose all your paperwork.” Hayes was married to the owner of Coastal Lead.

Asbestos, a known human carcinogen, is regulated under the Clean Air Act and the Toxic Substances Control Act. To reduce exposure to workers and the public, federal laws required special precautions for the removal, handling and disposal of asbestos material – which is why training certification is mandatory.

Call for a copy of the the U.S. Department of Justice press release.