Daniel J. Brett, a businessman from Murray, Utah, has been ordered to pay $40,000 in restitution to a water truck operator involved in the demolition of the Broadway Hotel in Tooele, Utah. The sentencing was carried out by Senior U.S. District Court Judge David Sam after Brett pleaded guilty to negligent endangerment in September 2024.
The United States had advocated for a sentence that included 12 months of imprisonment followed by one year of supervised release and the $40,000 restitution payment. According to court documents and statements during Brett's plea and sentencing hearings, he facilitated the demolition of the Broadway Hotel between December 9 and December 14, 2020. This action resulted in asbestos being released into the air without proper safety measures or disclosure to the contracted demolition company.
The demolition proceeded without adherence to protocols required by the Clean Air Act. A worker hired for the demolition operated a water truck with minimal protection—a dust mask—while wetting debris as building materials collapsed around him.
Asbestos had been identified at the Broadway Hotel since 2011. Following its demolition, asbestos-laden debris remained uncovered at the site for fifteen months until an emergency removal was conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), costing approximately $1.1 million.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ruth Hackford-Peer from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah.