“Richard Marini, Valor Security’s Training Director and the final defendant charged with operating this sham safety school, will serve time in state prison for jeopardizing the lives of thousands and recklessly endangering the life of Ivan Frias,” said District Attorney Bragg. “Workers trusted Richard Marini to train them on how to work safely at construction sites, and that trust was broken. Unsafe work conditions will not be tolerated in New York.”

“Valor Security is facing accountability for operating a sham safety training school, imperiling the workers in one of New York’s most dangerous industries. Valor’s President, Alexander Shaporov, also pleaded guilty to recklessly endangering Ivan Frias, who tragically died when he fell from a construction site without proper training,” said District Attorney Bragg. “We will continue to root out fraud with our partners at DOI and DOB. If you are a victim of dangerous work conditions, please call our Worker Protection Unit at (646) 712-0298.”

“As alleged, these defendants conspired to use Coin Dispute Network to defraud dozens of people desperate to retrieve their cryptocurrency, and used lies and deception to steal from nine New Yorkers,” said District Attorney Bragg. “Our Investigation Division and its Cyber Crime Bureau follow the money, whether that means cold hard cash or the rapidly evolving world of cryptocurrency. If you have additional information about this alleged scheme or similar crypto scams, please call us at 212-335-9600.”

District Attorney Bragg said: “In the construction industry, fraud can mean life or death – not only for the individuals working on the site, but for the general public that moves around them every single day. We allege that Valor Security & Investigations ran a fraudulent safety training school, falsely claiming that construction workers received the necessary training required to work on construction sites. We also allege that the death of one recipient, Ivan Frias, may have been prevented if not for the defendants’ reckless failure to train him. With our partners at DOI and DOB, we are determined to root out fraud, especially when it puts New Yorkers at risk. We will not let harm come to workers because companies want to turn a quick profit.”