The person responsible for a man's death while building a "Luxury Waterfront Community' in the Hudson Valley was sentenced.

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today New Jersey developer was sentenced in connection to the death of a Dutchess County construction worker.

General Contractor And Real Estate Developer Sentenced For Worker Death On Construction Site In Dutchess County

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Onekey LLC, a New Jersey construction company, and Finbar O'Neil pleaded guilty in February to violating OSHA regulations resulting in the death of a construction worker in Poughkeepsie, New York.

O'Neil, 57, of Paramus, New Jersey was sentenced to three months in prison.

OneKey was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to pay a $218,417 fine

“Onekey, a construction company, and its principal, Finbar O’Neill, endangered the safety of their workers by willfully disregarding regulations and taking shortcuts to sidestep their safety obligations. This conduct led to the tragic death of a worker on a construction site," U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said.

What Happened In Poughkeepsie, New York

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In 2017, OneKey and O'Neil implemented a soil compaction plan at a construction site at 1 Dutchess Avenue in Poughkeepsie. The soil compaction plan involved piling large quantities of dirt, called “surcharges,” on top of the sites of three future buildings.

One Dutchess, a "Luxury Waterfront Community," is now located at 1 Dutchess Avenue in Poughkeepsie

An engineering firm designed a plan for the use of the surcharges. However, the company did not follow the plan.

"Instead, they built a wall to hold back one of the surcharges, so workers could get started on the buildings next to it. ONEKEY and O’Neill did not consult with any qualified person to see if the wall could withstand the weight to be placed on it by the surcharge," the Southern District of New York states.

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With others working next to the wall, OneKey kept using construction machinery to add dirt to the surcharge pressing up against the wall.

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The people working near the wall were not warned about the dangers it created, officials say.

On August 3, 2017, workers complained that construction machines were driving on top of the surcharge, adding dirt to it.

The wall collapsed later that day. As the wall fell, a victim ran away but he couldn't get away in time and was killed.

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In addition to the prison term, O'Neil was sentenced to one year of supervised release.

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