(Albany, NY) – New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang has announced the arrest of two Tioga County-based contractors who allegedly failed to maintain workers’ compensation insurance at three construction projects in Apalachin – potentially putting their employees and clients at risk.
Robert Peretore, 37, and Jeremy W. Hall, 41, both of Apalachin, were arraigned in Owego Town Court before Judge John P. Schumacher. Peretore was charged with two counts of Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the 1st Degree (E Felony), two counts of Fraudulent Practices (E Felony), and one count of Failure to Secure Compensation (Misdemeanor). Hall was charged with one count of Offering to a False Instrument for Filing in the 1st Degree, one count of Fraudulent Practices and one count of Failure to Secure Compensation.
An investigation by the state Office of the Workers’ Compensation Fraud Inspector General found Peretore and Hall, sometimes operating under the business name T&R Contracting Services, LLC, submitted building permits to the Town of Owego between October 2020 and April 2021 for three separate construction projects. In the permits, the pair claimed that they did not need to obtain workers’ compensation insurance because they had no employees. In fact, Peretore and Hall employed workers on the projects but failed to obtain workers’ compensation insurance. The projects included construction of a storage shed, repair of a collapsed barn, and installation of a roof and siding on a home.
New York State Workers’ Compensation Law requires all contractors to carry workers compensation insurance for their employees. Failing to carry insurance for more than five employees is a felony.
