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Two Sentenced in Conspiracy to Use Homeless Men for Illegal Asbestos Removal in Virginia

Release Date: 6/18/2003
Contact Information: Donna Heron, 215-814-5113

Donna Heron, 215-814-5113

PHILADELPHIA – A U.S. District Court judge in Charlottesville, Va. has sentenced two men for conspiring to illegally remove asbestos from aging buildings. The defendants employed untrained homeless men to remove asbestos from properties in Staunton, Va.

On June 13, 2003, David Stephen Klein, 49, of Coleman, Fla. was sentenced to 366 days in federal prison and ordered to pay a $25,000 fine and court costs. Klein was also put on three years probation.

Today, Josef Gene Weiss Jr., 50, of Harrisonburg, Va., was sentenced to 23 months in prison, placed on three years probation and fined $2,000. Weiss was employed by Klein to oversee the renovations.

The Davold Real Estate Partnership, operated by Klein, was also fined $200,000. Davold owned commercial buildings in the Staunton area, including the Masonic and the Towne Centre buildings.