New Bedford landlord to pay $100,000 for asbestos violations

NEW BEDFORD — A landlord who owns and operates dozens of buildings in the city will pay up to $100,000 to settle allegations by the state Attorney General’s Office that he allowed contractors to do illegal asbestos work on four New Bedford homes he was renovating between 2009 and 2013.

The suit alleged Ronald Oliveira of Acushnet caused residents and workers to be exposed to cancer-causing asbestos debris at 8 Harmony St., 11 Merrill St., 231 Pleasant St., and 197 Weld St.

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"He's in court weekly, be it though tickets, correction orders, things like that," said John Flor, assistant city solicitor and head of Mayor Jon Mitchell's Task Force on Neighborhood Quality.

Oliveira owns many buildings containing hundreds of apartments, possibly almost 1,000, Flor said. He said several are in a "fair" state and several are in a "poor" state.

Read more: http://www.southcoasttoday.com/news/20160915/new-bedford-landlord-to-pay-100000-for-asbestos-violations