RICHMOND, Ind.–A man from Richmond was sentenced to more than a year in federal prison for violating the Toxic Substance Abuse Act and obstructing justice in 2021.
Police say Jeffrey Delucio, 54, did not properly get rid of paint hazards in older low-to-middle-income homes while operating the company Aluminum Brothers Home Improvements in Richmond. That company received federal grant money from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to mitigate lead paint hazards in those homes.
Because of lead’s toxicity, federal law requires contractors renovating homes with lead-based paint to take certain precautions while working to protect themselves and those living in and around the homes under construction.
Court documents say Delucio admitted in federal court that he and other Aluminum Brothers workers he supervised failed to follow these laws while conducting multiple HUD-funded renovations. As a result, lead-based paint chips were scattered throughout the properties and were not cleaned up timely or properly as work was being conducted. There was a child in one of the homes with elevated blood lead levels, which was why renovation at that property was needed.
“Mr. Delucio put his community, employees, and the environment at risk, including a medically vulnerable child” said Zachary A. Myers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “These regulations are in place to ensure the health of Hoosiers for generations to come. We will continue working with the EPA, IDEM, and HUD to prosecute those who do not uphold their responsibility to preserve the environment and the safety of citizens.”
The Department of Justice says he also turned in false training records for each of his employees and gave those documents to the EPA and the Department of Housing and Urban Development to “conceal his conduct.”
Delucio will serve 16 months in prison, pay a $1,000 fine, and have to follow supervised probation after he is released.
“This wasn’t simply a situation of an environmental crime. Mr. Delucio’s behavior had real-life health implications for families in Wayne County. We’re pleased that this investigation has led to a conviction, preventing him and his company from causing further harm,” said IDEM Commissioner Brian Rockensuess.
