A concrete-testing company president has been sentenced to seven to 21 years in prison for faking results for iconic New York buildings.
The case involved concrete and steel test results for nearly 120 construction projects in and around the city. The new Yankee Stadium, ground zero's Freedom Tower and at least two dozen other buildings have been retested and declared safe.
V. Reddy Kancharla was sentenced Wednesday after trying to take his life twice during the case. His most recent suicide attempt was on the eve of his initial sentencing date last month.
The Testwell Laboratories Inc. president wore a neck brace as he told a Manhattan judge he was "not a criminal mastermind.'' He said the case had been "a nightmare'' for him.
DOI Commissioner Rose Gill Hearn said, "Testwell had an opportunity to set an example for integrity in the concrete testing business. Instead, its criminal conduct and that of its co-defendants exemplify the deep and enduring impact of fraud. This sentence drives home the message that intentionally tricking government agencies by filing bogus reports has grave results."
