Contractor Sentenced Over Asbestos Removal

A Sherman Oaks contractor convicted of violating asbestos safety laws while renovating a Van Nuys home was ordered Thursday to pay $6,525 in fines and perform 400 hours of public service on construction projects for the elderly, authorities said.

Fereidoon (Fred) Mahjoubi, 43, was sentenced by Los Angeles Municipal Judge Suzanne Peterson following his Jan. 10 conviction on six counts of violating Air Quality Management District rules regarding the handling of asbestos, said Deputy City Atty. Donald Kass, who handled the case.

Mahjoubi was also placed on probation for three years. About $3,000 of his fine will go to Para Los Ninos, a nonprofit organization that assists the disadvantaged in downtown Los Angeles, Kass said.

The convictions stem from Mahjoubi’s renovation of a home in the 15100 block of Hesby Street last year, Kass said. An AQMD investigator found an employee of Mahjoubi’s company, Mahco Construction Co., “ripping asbestos . . . siding material off the house and placing it, untreated, in open cardboard boxes for trash disposal,” City Atty. James K. Hahn said in a statement.

“The worker on the site was not wearing any protective clothing and had not been trained in the safe handling of asbestos,” said Hahn, who filed criminal charges in October.

A hearing before Peterson to determine if Mahjoubi will be required to pay restitution to anyone hurt by his violations is scheduled for Feb. 27, Kass said.