Jail Sentences Set for Death of Worker in Roof Accident : Courts: Three men will pay $100 fines and serve 90 days in county jail for involuntary manslaughter. The worker was fatally injured when a Torrance roof being demolished collapsed.

Three officials of a Placentia-based demolition firm were sentenced to 90 days in county jail and three years probation Wednesday for their roles in a Torrance roof collapse that killed one worker.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Lance Ito imposed the sentence on Robert De Fazio, president of Radco Concrete Sawing and Breaking Inc., his brother and company supervisor Jeffrey De Fazio, and site supervisor Mario Aroz.

Jeffrey De Fazio and Aroz will begin serving their jail sentences on Nov. 12. Robert De Fazio will begin serving his sentence on Feb. 10, 1993, Ito ordered. The delays were granted to allow time for the company to train new supervisors and to assure that the De Fazios would not serve their time simultaneously, Deputy Dist. Atty. Fred Macksoud said.

“These are the two men who really run the business and we don’t want to put the company out of business by having them both out of the loop at the same time,” Macksoud said.

Each man also was ordered to pay $100 restitution. In addition, the company was fined $5,000 and placed on three years probation.

The three men and the company pleaded guilty last month to involuntary manslaughter in the worker’s death during a June 9, 1991, roof collapse at the former National Lumber & Supply store in the 25400 block of Crenshaw Boulevard.

Six workers were demolishing portions of the store’s roof when a heavy electrical panel they were moving across the roof fell through a portion of the structure to the concrete floor 20 feet below.

Two workers ran to safety as the roof collapsed, but four fell through the hole. Miguel Arzate, 22, of Los Angeles, died of massive head injuries. Rigoberto Sierra, 42, also of Los Angeles, suffered a broken pelvis. The two other men who fell were not seriously hurt, Macksoud said.

Radco officials had contended the workers were not supposed to be at the building on a Sunday and that they broke a lock on the door to get in. The officials agreed to plead guilty, their attorney said, because they could not afford further legal fees.

Robert De Fazio might have been forced to spend more than $100,000 defending himself, his supervisors and his company, defense attorney Richard Gutierrez said.

If convicted at trial, the men also would have faced two to four years in state prison, Gutierrez said.

Despite the settlement of the criminal charges, Radco and Robert De Fazio still face several safety violations filed by the state Occupational Health and Safety Administration.

Four of those violations are ranked “serious,” Macksoud said, including allegations that Radco failed to properly survey the job site for hazards, failed to properly supervise employees and failed to provide proper safety equipment and guardrails to protect workers.

Radco has appealed the findings, but if fines on all the violations are upheld, the company could owe as much as $9,630, Macksoud said.