Report: Charges Against Subcontractor in Deutsche Bank Fire

Over a year after a seven-alarm fire took the lives of two firefighters at the former Deutsche Bank building, the Manhattan DA's office will only bring manslaughter charges against the subcontractor, according to the Daily News. And the city and state won't face charges, "although several agencies were supposed to ensure the Ground Zero building was safe." While a construction worker's smoking caused the fire, there were numerous safety violations, from the dismantled standpipe (which brings water up in case of fires), blocked exits, and a lack of inspections to make sure the dismantling was being handled carefully. The subcontractor, John Galt Corp., had no experience with projects of this scale (the building was being dismantled after contamination from the 9/11 attacks) and was essentially laundering "millions through various shell companies." A source told the News, "The problem with indicting anyone in the city is that the city itself has sovereign immunity," meaning "prosecutors would have to prove a city employee's actions directly caused the deaths." So, the city or state may not have researched John Galt Corp.'s creds, but it's no big deal!