Fake safety cards put 20,000 construction workers at risk

The final defendant alleged by prosecutors to be involved in scheme selling fake construction safety certifications to roughly 20,000 workers across the city pleaded guilty last week, concluding a case that drew the attention of building trades unions over the consequences of fake training in an already dangerous industry.

Richard Marini, 73, the former training director of Valor Security & Investigations, pleaded guilty Sept. 17 to 20 counts of offering a false instrument for filing and one count of reckless endangerment. He is expected to be sentenced Oct. 5 to 1½ to 3 years in state prison.

Prosecutors with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said Marini issued safety certificates and cards to approximately 20,000 people between December 2019 and April 2023, charging workers between $300 and $600 for documentation stating that they had completed the required 40 hours of construction safety training when they had not actually received the training.

The case has drawn criticism from the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York, whose president, Gary LaBarbera, said fake training programs put workers at risk while setting up a massive system of exploitation.

“This sham safety school is yet another shameful instance of unscrupulous actors prioritizing their greed over the well-being of hardworking New Yorkers who are just looking to support their families and make ends meet,” LaBarbera said in a statement.

The union leader said the construction industry should have “zero tolerance for fraud,” particularly when it involves safety training.

Fake training led to death of a worker

Marini's case involved the 2022 death of Ivan Frias, a 36-year-old construction worker who fell from the 15th floor of a West End Avenue construction site. Prosecutors said Valor filed paperwork indicating that Frias had completed safety training, including fall-protection training, even though he had not received the training.

Marini pleaded guilty to recklessly endangering Frias.

“Workers trusted Richard Marini to train them on how to work safely at construction sites, and that trust was broken. Unsafe work conditions will not be tolerated in New York,” said Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, who announced Marini's guilty plea Sept. 17 

The plea concludes a case that began with an investigation into Valor’s operation as a Department of Buildings-approved training provider. The company’s president, Alexander Shaporov, pleaded guilty in June 2025 and was sentenced in October 2025 to one year in jail, 100 hours of community service and forfeiture of $100,000.

Valor also lost its security license. Instructor Elliot Sosinov was ordered to pay $100,000, while three other former Valor executives were each sentenced to 200 hours of community service in April 2026.

“The actions taken by the defendant deprived thousands of construction workers of life-saving construction safety training, which put New Yorkers across the city at greater risk,” said Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani. Tigani added that the DOB invalidated the thousands of SST cards given out by Valor and offered workers free training. 

 In an earlier account of the case, prosecutors said undercover investigators were able to purchase 40-hour safety certificates without taking any training and receive them within an hour. Valor also allegedly filed records claiming that classes had been held at locations where instructors were elsewhere, while surveillance showed empty classrooms during these alleged training sessions.

‘Deprived thousands of construction workers of life-saving construction safety training’

The fraudulent certifications affected a significant part of the city’s construction-safety system. Local Law 196 requires workers on larger construction sites to complete at least 40 hours of safety training, which can include OSHA-30 and specialized Site Safety Training courses. Workers who complete the required training receive SST identification cards used to enter covered construction sites.

LaBarbera said the city's building trades would continue advocating for laws and labor standards intended to protect construction workers from phony contractors. 

“The NYC Building Trades remains committed to making real, impactful training options, like our pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs, accessible for all individuals interested in a union career,” LaBarbera said.