Unlicensed asbestos contractor gets jail time for environmental crimes

BOTHELL, Wash. — An unlicensed and decertified asbestos contractor was sentenced to jail time after he exposed workers and homeowners to asbestos, forged documents and stole thousands of dollars from homeowners, according to a Friday news release from Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson.

Derrick Boss, the owner of Above and Beyond Asbestos Removal in Bothell, posed as a licensed and trained asbestos removal expert and repeatedly exposed his customers and workers — including his son — to asbestos.

In June, Boss pleaded guilty to two felonies —  forgery and second-degree theft —  and four gross misdemeanors — two violations of the Washington Clean Air Act and two counts of contracting without a license.

Boss, who was decertified as an asbestos abatement contractor in 2018, owes the Department of Labor and Industries more than $500,000 in fines for 13 serious violations.

Asbestos fibers released into the air can cause serious health problems such as lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis.

A Burien man paid Boss’s company $4,500 in cash last year to remove flooring contaminated with asbestos, but Boss and his son left his property without finishing the job and left asbestos-contaminated debris all over the floor, according to the release. The man’s money was not refunded, and the customer had to hire another company to complete the work.

Boss was sentenced to 105 days in jail and ordered to pay $13,350 in restitution to four people who paid him for his work.

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