flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Fake architect caught in ‘Operation Vandelay Industries’ sentenced to 2 1/3 to 7 years in prison

Architects

Fake architect caught in ‘Operation Vandelay Industries’ sentenced to 2 1/3 to 7 years in prison

The fake architect must also pay a $115,000 restitution.


By David Malone, Associate Editor | September 6, 2017
A man's hands handcuffed behind his back

Pixabay Public Domain

Goodbye, Newman.

In a case saturated in pop culture references, a fake architect named Paul J. Newman has been sentenced to 2 1/3 to 7 years in prison after he was caught in a New York state fraud investigation dubbed “Operation Vandelay Industries,” a reference to the 90’s sitcom Seinfeld.

Newman was sentenced on Sept. 5 after pleading guilty to six felonies that included grand larceny and fraud, the Associated Press reports. As part of his sentence, Newman must pay a $115,000 restitution.

According to Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s office, Newman rendered fraudulent architectural services in Albany, Rensselaer, and Saratoga counties dating back to 2010. His victims include municipalities and businesses.

For those not well versed in the show about nothing’s running gags, Art Vandelay, a phony architect, was the alias of George Costanza. Vandelay Industries later became a fictional company on the show. Seinfeld’s Newman, meanwhile, was Jerry Seinfeld’s arch nemesis.

Tags

Related Stories

Contractors | Oct 7, 2022

Nonresidential construction spending down 0.4% in August, says ABC

National nonresidential construction spending was down 0.4% in August, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published today by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Multifamily Housing | Oct 7, 2022

Design for new Ft. Lauderdale mixed-use tower features sequence of stepped rounded volumes

The newly revealed design for 633 SE 3rd Ave., a 47-story, mixed-use tower in Ft. Lauderdale, features a sequence of stepped rounded volumes that ease the massing of the tower as it rises.

Giants 400 | Oct 6, 2022

Top 100 Medical Office Building Architecture + AE Firms for 2022

CannonDesign, Perkins Eastman, HGA, and E4H Environments for Health Architecture top the ranking of the nation's largest medical office building (MOB) architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms for 2022, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report. 

Giants 400 | Oct 6, 2022

Top 100 Outpatient Facility Architecture + AE Firms for 2022

Perkins and Will, HDR, CannonDesign, and Massa Multimedia Architecture top the ranking of the nation's largest outpatient facility architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms for 2022, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report. 

Giants 400 | Oct 6, 2022

Top 130 Hospital Facility Architecture + AE Firms for 2022

HDR, HKS, CannonDesign, and Stantec top the ranking of the nation's largest hospital facility architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms for 2022, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report. 

Giants 400 | Oct 6, 2022

Top 115 Healthcare Sector Contractors + CM Firms for 2022

Turner Construction, Brasfield & Gorrie, DPR Construction, and JE Dunn Construction top the ranking of the nation's largest healthcare sector contractors and construction management (CM) firms for 2022, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking factors all healthcare sector work, including hospitals, outpatient facilities, and medical office buildings. 

Giants 400 | Oct 6, 2022

Top 90 Healthcare Sector Engineering + EA Firms for 2022

Jacobs, AECOM, WSP, and IMEG Corp. head the ranking of the nation's largest healthcare sector engineering and engineering/architecture (EA) firms for 2022, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking factors all healthcare sector work, including hospitals, outpatient facilities, and medical office buildings.

Giants 400 | Oct 6, 2022

Top 170 Healthcare Sector Architecture + AE Firms for 2022

HDR, CannonDesign, HKS, and Stantec top the ranking of the nation's largest healthcare sector architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms for 2022, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking factors all healthcare sector work, including hospitals, outpatient facilities, and medical office buildings. 

Designers / Specifiers / Landscape Architects | Oct 6, 2022

DAHLIN announces acquisition of Design Line Interiors

DAHLIN Architecture | Planning | Interiors announced today that it is expanding its interiors capabilities with the acquisition of Del Mar, California-based Design Line Interiors.

Contractors | Oct 6, 2022

Modular construction gets boost from impacts of the pandemic

The impact of the Covid pandemic on the construction industry appears to be fueling demand for modular construction methods, especially in the western U.S. and Canada.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category


Urban Planning

Bridging the gap: How early architect involvement can revolutionize a city’s capital improvement plans

Capital Improvement Plans (CIPs) typically span three to five years and outline future city projects and their costs. While they set the stage, the design and construction of these projects often extend beyond the CIP window, leading to a disconnect between the initial budget and evolving project scope. This can result in financial shortfalls, forcing cities to cut back on critical project features.



Libraries

Reasons to reinvent the Midcentury academic library

DLR Group's Interior Design Leader Gretchen Holy, Assoc. IIDA, shares the idea that a designer's responsibility to embrace a library’s history, respect its past, and create an environment that will serve student populations for the next 100 years.

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021