Edward Marquette, a former New York City crane inspector, was found guilty of falsifying inspection documents. Sentencing is scheduled for October 1, 2012.

“Inspecting cranes is not an area where anyone can afford to cut corners,” said District Attorney Cyrus Vance. “There’s no way of knowing if any of the six cranes the defendant claimed to have inspected were safe because he never actually inspected them. There are lifesaving reasons why the Department of Buildings has protocols and a set of standards in place for crane inspectors. By lying about inspecting cranes, the defendant put the safety of New Yorkers at risk.”

In early 2008, Marquette was employed as an inspector in the New York City Department of Buildings Division of Cranes and Derricks.
Federal officials alleged that Marquette filed false inspection sheets on two dates in January 2008.

Marquette was acquitted on charges relating to inspection records for a crane that subsequently collapsed at a construction site at 301 East 51st Street in Manhattan on March 15, 2008.