Albania Deleon, the owner of Environmental Compliance Training in Massachusetts fled the country last year to avoid a prison sentence for issuing fake asbestos removal certificates. Deleon has been arrested in the Dominican Republic and now faces extradition.

The federal regulations concerning the training of asbestos removal workers are very strict. Asbestos is a known carcinogenic fiber which causes serious respiratory diseases when it is breathed in. Diseases such as mesothelioma and asbestosis are common ailments experienced by those exposed to asbestos.

Deleon was being sought for providing certifications of having been trained in the proper methods of removing asbestos to workers who had not attended the program. This action put whole communities at risk by enabling untrained workers to be involved with asbestos removal projects. Many of the recipients of the false certificates filed them with the Mass. Division of Occupational Safety to obtain licensing to work in the asbestos removal industry.

These untrained workers were then employed with companies such as Methuen Staffing and worked in temporary jobs in that field. These “licensed” workers were handling the removal of asbestos with no training in as many as three states.
After he was convicted Deleon was able to put off his prison sentence for about a year by fleeing the United States; however the long arm of the law has managed to locate him and arrange for his return so that he can face his punishment. How long is long enough for him to pay for risking the lives and health of entire communities as well as the workers he falsely sent into this dangerous situation?