U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins | U.S. Department of Justice
Daniel J. Brett, a 68-year-old businessman from Murray, Utah, has been ordered to pay $40,000 in restitution to a water truck operator involved in the demolition of the Broadway Hotel in Tooele, Utah. The hotel contained asbestos, a hazardous air pollutant.
Senior U.S. District Court Judge David Sam imposed the sentence after Brett pleaded guilty to negligent endangerment in September 2024. The United States had sought a sentence of 12 months' imprisonment with one year of supervised release and $40,000 in restitution.
Court documents reveal that between December 9 and December 14, 2020, Brett facilitated the demolition of the Broadway Hotel without disclosing the presence of asbestos or following required procedures under the Clean Air Act. This resulted in asbestos being released into the air during demolition activities conducted without personal protective equipment.
The demolition company hired a worker who operated a water truck on-site while standing outside with only a dust mask for protection as debris was wetted down during building collapse.
Asbestos at the Broadway Hotel had been known since 2011. Following its demolition, debris containing asbestos remained uncovered for fifteen months until an emergency removal action was initiated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), costing approximately $1.1 million.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ruth Hackford-Peer from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah.
