The owner of RSR Home Construction in Far Hills, N.J., has plead guilty to one count of felony perjury after an investigation by OSHA. In exchange for the guilty plea, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey sentenced Robert Riley, owner of RSR Home Construction, to two years probation and fined him $5,500 for lying under oath during an investigation that began in May 2018.
OSHA initiated an investigation after two RSR Home Construction employees suffered serious injuries from falling through unguarded skylights while making roof repairs in two separate incidents. In an administrative proceeding before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, RSR Home Construction agreed to affirm citations and a $50,000 penalty for one willful and three serious violations for lack of fall protection and other safety deficiencies.
Riley testified under oath that he never instructed or authorized anyone to perform work on the roofs. However, text messages to construction workers from Riley revealed the owner directed a worker to begin repairs on the roof of the barn structure where the injuries occurred.
“Our collaboration with U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey helped to hold Robert Riley legally accountable for giving false information in a federal investigation,” regional solicitor of labor Jeffrey S. Rogoff, in New York, N.Y., said in a prepared statement. “This successful outcome shows that the U.S. Department of Labor will use all appropriate and available legal tools to ensure that employers abide by the law.”
