Contractor sentenced after fatal wall collapse at Brooklyn site

The operator of the Brooklyn construction company found responsible for a fatal wall collapse in 2018 will serve two to four years in prison.

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said Jiaxi "Jimmy" Liu, 49, of Staten Island ignored workers' safety concerns at a construction site on 39th Street in Sunset Park before a wall collapsed in September 2018, killing a worker named Luis Sanchez Almonte, who was buried underneath thousands of pounds of debris.

“The death of Luis Sanchez Almonte was not an accident but a preventable disaster that was caused by disregard of safety protocols and reported signs of danger," Gonzalez said in a statement. "The prison term imposed today is an affirmation of these facts – and also a message that those who put their workers in jeopardy will pay a steep price when their actions result in tragedy."

The DA said workers employed by WSC Group Inc., owned by Liu, were conducting demolition, excavation and foundation work at the site at 714 39th St. A one-story industrial building was slated to be removed and replaced with a four-story facility.

Gonzalez said Liu ignored warnings of dangerous conditions at the site from workers and adjacent property owners, including concerns that the rear wall was moving forward and lacked support. A resident who lived adjacent to the rear wall also notified Liu that her patio and garage had caved in, the DA said.

Almonte's body was not removed from the site until the following day, the DA said.

Liu was convicted of criminally negligent homicide and other charges in March.

Wilson Garcia, the site's 48-year-old foreman, was also convicted of criminal mischief and is awaiting sentencing. The DA said two other codefendants also entered guilty pleas: Jia Rong “Tommy” Liu, 52, of Brooklyn, to petit larceny; and Cindy Chai, 45, of Staten Island, to tax fraud.