Ex-con inspector conducted fake asbestos inspection to speed up Bensonhurst homeless shelter plan: NYC pol
An ex-convict asbestos inspector, Noel Muir, is accused of falsifying an inspection report to fast-track a controversial 150-bed homeless shelter in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. City officials and community members allege Muir never visited the site and conducted the inspection with a potentially suspended license, raising health and safety concerns. The project, backed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, has faced prolonged delays and protests, with construction halted after a stop-work order was issued.
- ▪Noel Muir, a former asbestos inspector with a criminal record, allegedly falsified a report claiming he inspected the Bensonhurst shelter site in April 2025.
- ▪Sixteen residents and community leaders stated under oath they observed no one at the site during the time Muir claimed to conduct the inspection.
- ▪Muir previously served prison time for defrauding jazz musician Cecil Taylor of nearly $500,000 and was fined for violating asbestos-safety laws.
- ▪The Department of Environmental Protection issued a stop-work order after determining no proper asbestos inspection had been conducted.
- ▪Councilwoman Susan Zhuang called for a full investigation and for Muir to be stripped of his license due to his history of fraudulent activity.
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Metro exclusive details Ex-con inspector conducted fake asbestos inspection to speed up Bensonhurst homeless shelter plan: NYC pol By Rich Calder Published May 2, 2026, 9:24 a.m. ET A shady asbestos inspector who served prison time for conning a famed jazz great out of $500,000 allegedly never even showed up to the site of a highly contested Brooklyn homeless shelter being pushed by the Mamdani administration before greenlighting the project for construction. Noel Muir claimed he inspected the site of the planned 150-bed men’s shelter in Bensonhurst in April 2025, before proclaiming it asbestos-free, city records show.
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