Jay Clayton, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York | Department of Justice
Federal authorities have charged two safety inspectors, Liam Treibert and Michael Vasconcellos, with wire fraud for allegedly falsifying hundreds of natural gas pipeline test results across New York City and Westchester County. The indictment was announced by U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton and New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang.
Treibert was arrested in North Carolina and is set to appear in federal court in Raleigh. Vasconcellos was taken into custody in New York and will be presented in White Plains federal court.
“As alleged, Liam Treibert and Michael Vasconcellos violated the trust placed in them to ensure the safety of natural gas pipelines that were being installed throughout New York City and Westchester County,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “They lied about having performed hundreds of inspections and then covered up those lies with fraudulent paperwork. Their actions put the lives of New Yorkers at risk. The safety of New Yorkers is of paramount importance to our Office.”
“When deliberate misconduct - as alleged here - puts entire communities at risk, those responsible must face swift and decisive consequences,” said New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang. “Today’s arrests, made in partnership with the Southern District of New York, demonstrate my agency’s unwavering commitment to protecting critical infrastructure and pursuing accountability on behalf of all New Yorkers.”
According to allegations in the indictment, from around 2016 through 2023, Treibert and Vasconcellos were assigned to perform safety inspections on welds used during installation of natural gas pipelines by a regulated utility company referred to as Utility-1. These inspections are required before pipelines can be put into service because defects could cause leaks or explosions.
Instead, prosecutors say both men falsely claimed they had inspected hundreds of welds they never reviewed, submitting fake records to cover up their actions. The utility paid for these sham inspections believing its pipelines had passed required safety tests.
The process described includes placing gas pipelines underground in segments joined by welding; each weld must undergo non-destructive testing such as radiography (x-ray) before use. In this case, Treibert and Vasconcellos allegedly engaged in a practice known as “radaring,” where a single weld would be x-rayed twice but reported as separate welds—meaning some segments went uninspected.
Hundreds of welds installed between 2016 and 2023 across Bronx and Westchester County are believed affected by this conduct. Utility-1 paid invoices for these supposed inspections via bank transfers.
Liam Treibert, age 30 from Wendell, North Carolina, and Michael Vasconcellos, age 44 from Mahopac, New York, each face one count of wire fraud carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years if convicted; sentencing will ultimately be determined by a judge.
U.S. Attorney Clayton commended investigative work conducted by the offices of the New York State Inspector General alongside special agents from his own office.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David A. Markewitz and Jay McMahon out of the White Plains Division.
Authorities remind that charges listed in an indictment are only accusations; defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
