Contractor charged with manslaughter

BROOKLYN The Brooklyn district attorney says the contractor, William Lattarulo of Malverne, Long Island, owned both the construction site and the neighboring residential building in East New York.

The accident killed 30-year-old Louro Ortega of Queens, a 30-year-old father of two.

The name of Lattarulo's attorney could not immediately be determined. Lattarulo tells the Daily News that he's not to blame for Ortega's death.

The March 12 collapse left several tenants homeless.

The city stopped work at the site after the accident. The buildings commissioner cited "evidence of shoddy work conditions" and said building permits had expired days before.

The DA scheduled a news conference on the case later Wednesday.

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