Clapper, Patti, Schweizer and Mason

Three former executives of a nonprofit construction company, Firm Build, are accused of hiring high school students to do work on a renovation project in 2005-2006 that involved the removal of asbestos.  Exposure to asbestos is known to lead to serious illnesses, such as mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer.  Removal of any asbestos containing materials (ACMs) is highly regulated to protect the safety of workers and the general public.

At the time of the construction project, Rudy Buendia, Patrick Bowman, and Joseph Cuellar held executive positions with Firm Build, a nonprofit construction training company that is no longer operating.  The allegations state that the three men hired up to eighty high school students to perform construction work and knowingly asked them to remove materials that contained asbestos.  They are each being charged with five counts of child endangerment and of knowingly exposing workers to hazardous materials. 

All three have pleaded not guilty, and say that although they were aware there was asbestos on site, they followed all safety regulations.   The five students who are coming forward with allegations say that they were not given proper protective gear, only basic cotton masks and goggles.  The project took place in 2005 at the Automotive Training Center located at Castle Air Force Base in Merced, California.

A separate case of alleged embezzlement and grand theft is pending against the Firm Build, including the three men now facing these asbestos charges.  Some are saying that this case is being pushed forward only because the other has stalled.

Supporters of the defendants came forward at the hearing in Merced County Superior Court, saying that the men being charged are being wrongly accused and have been avid and longtime advocates for young people and would never knowingly put them in harm’s way.  The three men are asking to be released on their own recognizance.