NYC concrete testing fraud inquiry widens

The Manhattan district attorney’s office is continuing its massive 17-month investigation of concrete testing fraud in the city, this time targeting Casa Redimix Concrete. Casa, the subject of an August 6 search warrant, was banned from supplying concrete for the $612 million replacement of the Willis Avenue Bridge the next day, due to a Department of Transportation mandate. However, pending a hearing next month, the company could be allowed to continue work on the bridge, after a victory last Friday in the State Supreme Court. Several New York City concrete testing groups have been subject to scrutiny in recent months including one group, Testwell Laboratories, which tested concrete for over 60 major city buildings, including the Museum of Modern Art and a 40-story Times Square office building.