James Abadie, Executive At Bovis Lend Lease

In Charge Of Sept. 11 Memorial, Resigns Amid Probe

NY Daily News 6/16/09

A construction executive in charge of the Sept. 11 Memorial and other major New York projects resigned Monday amid a federal criminal probe.

James Abadie, who stepped down as head of the New York office of Bovis Lend Lease, was also in charge of the disastrous demolition of the Deutsche Bank tower at Ground Zero.

His resignation follows a Daily News story revealing the Brooklyn U.S. attorney is investigating billing and payroll practices at five Bovis projects in New York, including the memorial and Deutsche Bank. A spokeswoman for Bovis, one of the biggest construction firms in the world, said the company is cooperating and declined further comment.

A construction industry source said Abadie felt he had become a "distraction" to his company, largely because of pressure from the ongoing federal investigation, but also because he was "stressed out" from years of delay and controversy over the Deutsche Bank job.

It is unclear how the resignation will affect the much-delayed completion of the rebirth of the World Trade Center.

Officials with the 9/11 Memorial and the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey said the project would stay on track.

Abadie has hired prominent criminal defense lawyer Steven Kaufman, who declined to comment on the investigation. "If you ask people in the construction industry, they'll tell you Jim Abadie enjoys an excellent reputation," Kaufman said.

Abadie was a key player in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. He ran Bovis' role in the massive postdisaster cleanup. He was also in charge of the Deutsche Bank tower takedown when an August 2007 blaze led to the deaths of two firefighters. In December, the Manhattan District filed criminal charges against one of Abadie's subordinates on that job, but did not charge the corporation itself.

"This is a tragedy for Bovis and for the entire construction industry," said Louis Coletti, chief of the Building Trades Employers Association. "You won't find a more straightforward, more knowledgeable guy in the entire industry.