Feds: City contractor pleads guilty to lying to OSHA investigators

BRIDGEPORT — A contractor faces up to five years in federal prison after he pleaded guilty Wednesday to lying to Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigators, prosecutors said.

L.L.E. Construction owner — Luis F. Estrada, 47 — pleaded guilty before Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to making false statements and submitting false documents to OSHA while the agency investigated a job site he controlled.

He was indicted in January 2020.

In February 2018, Estrada and his company was contracted to do roof repairs and other work on a Main Street property. In February and March 2018, authorities said Estrada was given three checks totaling $11,000 for the work.

On March 1, 2018, a compliance officer with OSHA visited the Main Street property and saw what he described as various safety infractions by workers who were doing the roof repairs, authorities said. The compliance officer conducted an on-site inspection. Estrada was not at the property during the inspection, but spoke with the compliance officer by phone.

On May 22, 2018, OSHA compliance officers served Estrada with a subpoena, seeking documents and records related to his company’s work at the Main Street property in February and March 2018, authorities said.

On July 30, 2018, Estrada handdelivered a written response, saying he did not do any work on the project so he did not have any payroll records or documents related to the project.

In pleading guilty to making false statements to the U.S. Department of Labor, Estrada admitted he lied in his July 2018 written statement. Authorities said Estrada also later lied in a deposition as part of the OSHA investigation.

Estrada is free on a $75,000 bond pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled. At the time of sentencing, he faces up to five years in federal prison.