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Midtown Crane Contractor's Manslaughter Trial Set to Begin

By DNAinfo Staff on June 22, 2010 12:46pm

William Rapetti in court on June 11.
William Rapetti in court on June 11.
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DNAinfo/John Marshall Mantel

By Shayna Jacobs

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

MANHATTAN SUPREME COURT — A judge will hear opening arguments Tuesday in the trial against a crane rigger charged with killing seven people in 2008 by using faulty high-rise construction equipment that collapsed onto the victims.

Construction boss William Rapetti, whose company Rapetti Rigging Services was responsible for the cranes in the 2008 incident, waived his constitutional right to a jury trial, leaving Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Roger Hays to decide his fate.

Prosecutors say Rapetti, 49, allowed his company to operate cranes without properly securing them to buildings with enough polyester slings, in violation of federal and state laws governing the use of the massive equipment.

Six of Rapetti's crew members died at the construction site at 303 East 51st Street, along with a resident of an adjacent townhouse who was crushed when the tall crane tipped over and snapped. Other victims were seriously injured. 

Rapetti faces manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, falsifying documents and other criminal charges. He faces up to 15 years in prison if the judge finds him guilty of the top charge.

The tragedy drew attention to the failure in oversight on safety measures as well as the corruption in the city's Department of Buildings. Earlier in June, a former top crane inspector for the DOB pleaded guilty to taking bribes from a contractor and was sentenced to two to six years in prison.