In a deal made public on Tuesday by New York State Attorney General Letitia James, businesses owned by the Gotti family agreed to pay at least $210,000 in penalties and clean up hazardous materials that were leaking from a scrap yard in Queens.
The cleanup plan was agreed upon by LSM Auto Parts & Recycling, BGN Real Estate, as well as two associated organizations – and will be carried out under the vigilance of the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
One of the proprietors of the LSM Auto Parts & Recycling in Jamaica, located at 155-11 Liberty Ave., is Carmine Gotti Agnello Jr., grandson of the notorious late Gambino crime-family mafia leader John Gotti. Victoria Gotti, John’s daughter and Carmine’s mother, is the owner of BGN Real Estate and Three Sons Real Estate Group, which own the scrap yard.
“LSM made an environmental mess, and now they are responsible for cleaning it up,” James said in a statement. “For too long, LSM ignored basic laws and regulations about handling dangerous chemicals and exposed neighbors to toxic pollutants,” she added. “Now, LSM will finally clean up their years of pollution and we’re going to make sure they do it right.”
According to the settlement, LSM and its affiliates will pay a $210,000 penalty. However, if they don’t comply with the clean-up obligations, they may also be required to pay an additional $287,000 in penalties, for a total of $497,000.
James claimed in a 2022 lawsuit that LSM disregarded regulations pertaining to the safe disposal of dangerous car waste. According to the lawsuit, substantial volumes of oil and antifreeze leaked from the site and contaminated the groundwater and soil in a neighborhood next to a low-income one. This was caused by negligence.
