Latest news with #Espaillat
Global News
4 days ago
- Global News
Jet Set owners charged with involuntary homicide after deadly roof collapse
The owners of Jet Set, a popular nightclub in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where 236 people were killed when its roof collapsed during a live concert in early April, have been arrested and charged with involuntary homicide, the Dominican Republic's attorney general's office says. The establishment's roof collapsed in the small hours of April 8 with hundreds of concertgoers inside, prompting a multi-day search and rescue effort to find survivors and the deceased, the ordeal sparking outrage over the country's substandard building safety codes. Antonio Espaillat, a prominent Dominican businessman and the club's owner, who also runs dozens of local radio stations and several entertainment hubs, was arrested on Thursday after a former employee presented evidence proving that he had advised the owners, including Espaillat, to cancel the concert because the roof of the building was in a dangerously poor condition, according to reports by The New York Times. Story continues below advertisement According to NBC News, the man identified himself as former Jet Set employee Gregory Adamés during an interview with Altanto TV, a local Dominican digital news channel, which says he provided prosecutors with video of conversations with Espaillat where he advised that the ill-fated party shouldn't go ahead because the roof may collapse. 1:10 Death toll from Dominican Republic nightclub roof collapse rises to 124 Espaillat was detained on Thursday after attending a hearing at the attorney general's office in the Dominican capital of Santo Domingo, his lawyer, Jorge Luis Polanco, confirmed. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Maribel Espaillat, Antonio's sister, who managed the club, has also been charged with involuntary manslaughter. View image in full screen Members of special police forces take Maribel Espaillat, sister of businessman Antonio Espaillat, into custody in Santo Domingo on June 15, 2025. STR / Getty Images In a statement published by the New York Times, the attorney general's office wrote that the siblings 'demonstrated immense irresponsibility and negligence by failing to do what was necessary to ensure that the Jet Set Club's roof was adequately and expertly repaired,' adding that they had attempted to 'manipulate or intimidate' employees who could have been potential witnesses. Story continues below advertisement View image in full screen Aerial view shows rescue teams working at the Jet Set nightclub a day after the collapse of its roof in Santo Domingo on April 9, 2025. Rescuers raced to find survivors among the rubble of the nightclub where at least 124 people, including a former Major League Baseball star, were killed when the roof collapsed. Alfred Davies/ Getty Images It did not provide additional details. In an interview shortly after the disaster, Espaillat appeared to express remorse, telling the media that he was 'destroyed' by the fatal incident that killed 236 people, adding that if he could have prevented the collapse, he would have. 'There was no warning, nothing. We were all surprised,' he said. 'I'm going to face everything,' he added. 'I'm not going anywhere.' Espaillat did not attend the scene during rescue efforts over concerns for his safety, as angry crowds had gathered at the site. The club, which was founded 52 years ago by Espaillat's mother, Ana Grecia López, when he was just six years old, had become a pillar of the city's nightlife and was frequented by many high-profile individuals. Story continues below advertisement It remained in the same location for three decades before it collapsed in April with about 515 people inside, according to the owners. The victims of the collapse included seven doctors, a retired United Nations official, former MLB players Octavio Dotel and Tony Enrique Blanco Cabrera, and Nelsy Cruz, the governor of Montecristi province and sister of seven-time Major League Baseball All-Star Nelson Cruz, the AP reported. It also killed merengue star Rubby Perez, who was performing when the roof caved in. There is currently no government agency dedicated to inspecting the buildings of private businesses in the Dominican Republic, although President Luis Abinader announced after the collapse the introduction of new legislation, which is expected to change that. — With files from the Associated Press
USA Today
11-06-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
ICE denies oversight of crowded detention facilities, lawmakers say
ICE denies oversight of crowded detention facilities, lawmakers say Their attempted visits come amid protests over sweeping raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other agencies. Show Caption Hide Caption See how Los Angeles protests intensified over one weekend What started as a small protest over immigration raids on Friday ballooned into large demonstrations throughout the weekend. Here's what happened. Federal officials are keeping lawmakers from inspecting increasingly crowded detention facilities. In at least three instances in California and New York, nine members of Congress have been denied entry, lawmakers told USA TODAY. Their attempted visits as part of congressional oversight come amid protests over sweeping raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other agencies. Advocates and lawmakers have raised concerns about detainees having little access to food, water or medicine in crowded conditions. As the Trump administration increases quotas to detain thousands of migrants each day, Democratic lawmakers have sought entry to view conditions where people are held inside detention centers, skyscrapers and basements. 'People are going in and they're not coming out,' Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-New York, told reporters June 10. Two days earlier, on Sunday, June 8, Espaillat and Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-New York, went to 26 Federal Plaza, a Manhattan skyscraper housing immigration court and ICE offices where they believe migrants are being held. Agents kept them from inspecting the building. In recent days, people have attended immigration court hearings, had their cases dismissed, and were quickly apprehended by ICE, Espaillat said. While the two officials entered the lobby, Espaillat said officials told them they couldn't go up because it was a sensitive location. The same day across the country, in California's Mojave Desert, lawmakers stood outside the privately-run Adelanto ICE Processing Center, which has faced years of scandal over treatment of detainees. They were barred at the facility by locked gates. 'It's a complete mystery,' Rep. Judy Chu, D-California, one of three elected officials denied entry, said in an interview. 'This is why we have to go.' Families hadn't heard from the people detained in militarized immigration raids in recent days in Los Angeles County, prompting lawmakers' visit to the facility, Chu said. ICE and the Department of Homeland Security didn't respond to email requests for comment. NJ lawmaker indicted after ICE facility visit resulted in confrontation The apparent denials of congressional inspections comes after three New Jersey congressmembers in May visited a newly opened private detention center in Newark. After lawmakers' visit, a tense confrontation ensued with agents at the entrance. Agents arrested Newark Mayor Ras Baraka but a federal trespassing charge was dropped. In a statement posted on its website, DHS said members of Congress simply had to schedule a visit. But experts told USA TODAY federal law doesn't require representatives to schedule visits. Conversely, unannounced visits provide the opportunity to view conditions without giving officials the opportunity to hide facility issues or conditions. Federal prosecutors charged one of the lawmakers, Rep. LaMonica McIver, for her involvement in the confrontation. On June 10, a grand jury indicted McIver on three criminal counts related to forcibly impeding and interfering with federal officers. McIver called the case a "brazen act of political intimidation" from conducting her oversight role. ICE data indicates substantial increases in detainees. Over 51,000 people are in custody as of June 1, an increase of more than 30% since Jan. 12, data shows. The agency is currently funded to house around 41,500 detainees, according to Reuters. What does the law say about oversight of ICE facilities? Members of Congress can conduct unannounced inspections of ICE facilities under federal law. The 2024 Further Consolidated Appropriations Act said funds made available to DHS can't be used to prevent members of Congress 'from entering, for the purpose of conducting oversight, any facility operated by or for the Department of Homeland Security used to detain or otherwise house aliens.' Additionally, the statute said, 'Nothing in this section may be construed to require a Member of Congress to provide prior notice of the intent to enter a facility.' Experts said such oversight, especially by inspecting conditions without notice, is key to ensuring safe conditions with DHS and ICE. 'This is an agency and a subagency that, over time, has overstepped its authority and has been unresponsive to pushback by members of Congress,' Nayna Gupta, policy director at the American Immigration Council, said. 'The Trump administration is taking that increasing level of impunity to an all new level.' Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-California, invoked the oversight statutes in a letter dated June 8 to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. 'This is black letter law—and your department broke it," Gomez wrote. Days earlier, migrants, including asylum seekers, had gone to ICE check-ins at the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building, in downtown Los Angeles, and placed into custody in the basement, CBS News reported. In a separate incident, on June 7, Gomez and three members of Congress, all Southern California Democrats, tried to enter the building, where many detained during recent raids had also been taken. The representatives were denied entry, but not before a speaker on the intercom asked, 'Who are you guys?' This statutory oversight includes anywhere were the agency is holding people in custody, whether at a detention center or temporarily in a federal building, experts said. 'To close off the ability for there to be oversight and transparency is going to put these facilities essentially in an unfettered operating position,' Greg Chen, senior director for government relations at the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said. 'It's going to mean that there's going to be no guardrails to ensure safe conditions for people that are detained there.' Lawmakers search for migrants detained in LA sweeps at desert facility Federal agents detained dozens of people in days of raids around Los Angeles worksites beginning June 6. The militarized action in the United States' most populous county has triggered days of protests. In response, President Donald Trump deployed Marines and the National Guard, against the wishes of state and local leaders. Many people detained in sweeping raids across Los Angeles were believed to have been transferred to the Adelanto facility, about 90 miles away, according to Chu, the Southern California congresswoman. Chu had visited Adelanto several times before before due to its conditions, including after Raul Ernesto Morales-Ramos, a Salvadoran man, died in 2015 from liver and kidney failure after complaints of medical issues in detention. During their latest visit, Chu and other lawmakers yelled at officials from behind the locked gate, videos showed. A driver in a surgical mask could be seen in a car parked less than 100 feet beyond the gate. The group, which included legal advocates, received no responses. GEO Group, which operates Adelanto, referred USA TODAY's questions to ICE, which didn't respond to questions. A family had been there at the same time as the representatives, Chu said. They had been searching for their son for three days. Data as of May 27, more than a week before the raids, showed around 140 people held at Adelanto. The facility has capacity for 1,940 people. Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Reach him by email at emcuevas1@ or on Signal at emcuevas.01.
Global News
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Global News
Jet Set nightclub owner ‘destroyed' by roof collapse that killed 232
The owner of a Dominican Republic nightclub where 232 people died following a roof collapse earlier this month has admitted that the building had been riddled with structural issues for more than a decade, and that plasterboard was used on multiple occasions to make repairs. On Wednesday, in his first interview since the April 8 disaster, Antonio Espaillat, the manager and owner of the plagued Jet Set nightclub in the Dominican capital of Santo Domingo, told local TV station Telesistema that plasterboard had been added to the roof hours before it caved in. Story continues below advertisement According to The Associated Press, he noted that plasterboard had fallen repeatedly through the years, including when water filtered through the club's air conditioning units. Espaillat confirmed no one ever inspected the roof or water filtration systems. He told reporters there were six air conditioning units on the roof, plus three water tanks, and that an electric generator was installed in an adjacent room, not on the roof. Every six to eight years, a specialized crew would waterproof the roof, with the last waterproofing done about a month before the collapse, he explained. 'We always bought plasterboard. Always,' he continued. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Espaillat first learned of the tragedy when his sister called him while trapped in the debris alongside hundreds of other people who were attending a concert by merengue musician Rubby Pérez, who was among those killed. He was in Las Vegas attending a convention when he received the news. 'To the families of the victims, I want to say I'm sorry. I'm very sorry,' Espaillat said. 'I am destroyed,' he continued, adding that if he could have prevented the collapse, he would have done everything in his power to do so. 'There was no warning, nothing. We were all surprised,' he said. Story continues below advertisement Espaillat did not attend the scene during rescue efforts over concerns for his safety as angry crowds had gathered at the site. View image in full screen A woman argues with Forensic National Institute morgue employees regarding delays in information following a roof collapse at the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo earlier this month. MARTIN BERNETTI / Getty Images The club, which was founded 52 years ago by Espaillat's mother, Ana Grecia López, when he was just six years old, had become a pillar of the city's nightlife, and remained in the same location for three decades before it collapsed this month with about 515 people inside, the owner said. View image in full screen Friends and relatives gather outside the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo on April 12, 2025, to pay tribute to the victims who died when the building's roof collapsed earlier this month. EDDY VITTINI / Getty Images In the 53 hours following the disaster, rescue crews found 189 survivors. Dozens of others were hospitalized. Story continues below advertisement The victims included seven doctors, a retired United Nations official, former MLB players Octavio Dotel and Tony Enrique Blanco Cabrera, and Nelsy Cruz, the governor of Montecristi province and sister of seven-time Major League Baseball All-Star Nelson Cruz, the AP reported. At least three lawsuits have been filed against the owners, the Dominican government, and the Santo Domingo mayor's office. The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified damages from all and a criminal conviction for involuntary manslaughter against the owners. Espaillat said he has barely slept in the weeks since the roof caved in and that he has been in touch with the families of his employees and some of the victims. 'I'm going to face everything,' he said. 'I'm not going anywhere.' Since the disaster, questions have been raised about the safety of buildings across Santo Domingo and the rest of the country. The Dominican government has created an expert task force dedicated to investigating the cause of the incident. There is currently no government agency dedicated to inspecting the buildings of private businesses in the Dominican Republic, although President Luis Abinader announced last week that new legislation is expected to change that. — With files from the Associated Press
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Yahoo
Owner of Dominican nightclub says plaster tiles often fell from ceiling years before deadly roof collapse
Two weeks after the roof of a popular nightclub collapsed and killed more than 200 people in the Dominican Republic, the venue's owner acknowledged that the ceiling was made of plaster tiles that frequently fell and said the venue never received a structural review from Dominican authorities. Businessman Antonio Espaillat, who co-owns the establishment with his mother, said in an interview with CNN affiliate Telesistema that aired on Wednesday that the tiles were frequently replaced after they were damaged by water leaking from the air conditioning units positioned on the roof. Espaillat said that this happened regularly throughout all the years that he has operated the venue – even on the very day of the collapse. More than 300 people were inside Jet Set nightclub in the capital of Santo Domingo when the roof collapsed around 1 a.m. on the morning of April 8 during a performance of merengue artist Rubby Pérez and his orchestra, authorities said. Espaillat's own sister was among those trapped under the rubble, he said. The disaster left at least 232 dead, including Pérez, and more than 180 injured, according to official figures. Espaillat stated that in the nightclub's 30 years of operation, the venue was 'never' subjected to a structural review by authorities during routine safety and health inspections, nor did he discuss the building's structural integrity with private engineers. The structure only received checks from firefighters and the departments of Labor and Health, he said. He said that he did not know the exact weight of the air conditioners located on the roof or if they affected the structure of the building. Espaillat asserted that he had never received any formal warnings about the risks posed by having a ceiling in disrepair and that he is 'the first one who wants to know what happened.' 'Since this happened, I have had no life,' he said, 'I am completely devastated.' CNN has reached out to Espaillat about the comments he made during the interview but has not received a response. Espaillat said he was informed about the collapse by his sister Maribel, who called him while trapped under the rubble. 'She said: 'Antonio, something incredible has happened… we heard an explosion, and the entire roof has collapsed,'' Espaillat told Telesistema. Maribel later told local newspaper Diario Libre that her husband, Daniel Vera Pichardo, covered her with his body to protect her from the falling roof. The two survived the incident. Espaillat, who was in Las Vegas for a business conference, said he flew to Santo Domingo the next day. 'I had no idea and couldn't believe it was something of this magnitude,' he said. unknown content item - The relatives of Virgilio Rafael Cruz Aponte, who died in the collapse, have filed a civil suit against the nightclub owners and local authorities, claiming the disaster was the result of structural negligence and failures in state supervision, Félix Portes, the plaintiffs' lawyer, told CNN. Espaillat has not commented on the case. Two days after the tragedy, the Dominican government pledged to form a technical team to forensically investigate what caused such a disaster. CNN has asked Dominican authorities for an update on the investigation's progress. Espaillat has said that he has been in contact with the families of employees who are deceased or injured and intends to accompany them in this process. 'I am here, and I am going to face everything. I am not going anywhere; I will be here, and everything that is within my reach and everything I can do, I will do,' he emphasized. When questioned about whether this could have been avoided, Espaillat said he felt 'powerless.' 'If there had been something that caught my attention or that they (my staff and private contractors) had told me: 'look, we need to check this, that, or the other,' I would have gladly done it,' he said.
CNN
24-04-2025
- CNN
Owner of Dominican nightclub says plaster tiles often fell from ceiling before deadly roof collapse
Two weeks after the roof of a popular nightclub collapsed and killed more than 200 people in the Dominican Republic, the venue's owner acknowledged that the ceiling was made of plaster tiles that frequently fell and said the venue never received a structural review from Dominican authorities. Businessman Antonio Espaillat, who co-owns the establishment with his mother, said in an interview with CNN affiliate Telesistema that aired on Wednesday that the tiles were frequently replaced after they were damaged by water leaking from the air conditioning units positioned on the roof. Espaillat said that this happened regularly throughout all the years that he has operated the venue – even on the very day of the collapse. More than 300 people were inside Jet Set nightclub in the capital of Santo Domingo when the roof collapsed around 1 a.m. on the morning of April 8 during a performance of merengue artist Rubby Pérez and his orchestra, authorities said. Espaillat's own sister was among those trapped under the rubble, he said. The disaster left at least 232 dead, including Pérez, and more than 180 injured, according to official figures. Espaillat stated that in the nightclub's 30 years of operation, the venue was 'never' subjected to a structural review by authorities during routine safety and health inspections, nor did he discuss the building's structural integrity with private engineers. The structure only received checks from firefighters and the departments of Labor and Health, he said. He said that he did not know the exact weight of the air conditioners located on the roof or if they affected the structure of the building. Espaillat asserted that he had never received any formal warnings about the risks posed by having a ceiling in disrepair and that he is 'the first one who wants to know what happened.' 'Since this happened, I have had no life,' he said, 'I am completely devastated.' CNN has reached out to Espaillat about the comments he made during the interview but has not received a response. Espaillat said he was informed about the collapse by his sister Maribel, who called him while trapped under the rubble. 'She said: 'Antonio, something incredible has happened… we heard an explosion, and the entire roof has collapsed,'' Espaillat told Telesistema. Maribel later told local newspaper Diario Libre that her husband, Daniel Vera Pichardo, covered her with his body to protect her from the falling roof. The two survived the incident. Espaillat, who was in Las Vegas for a business conference, said he flew to Santo Domingo the next day. 'I had no idea and couldn't believe it was something of this magnitude,' he said. Prev Next The relatives of Virgilio Rafael Cruz Aponte, who died in the collapse, have filed a civil suit against the nightclub owners and local authorities, claiming the disaster was the result of structural negligence and failures in state supervision, Félix Portes, the plaintiffs' lawyer, told CNN. Espaillat has not commented on the case. Two days after the tragedy, the Dominican government pledged to form a technical team to forensically investigate what caused such a disaster. CNN has asked Dominican authorities for an update on the investigation's progress. Espaillat has said that he has been in contact with the families of employees who are deceased or injured and intends to accompany them in this process. 'I am here, and I am going to face everything. I am not going anywhere; I will be here, and everything that is within my reach and everything I can do, I will do,' he emphasized. When questioned about whether this could have been avoided, Espaillat said he felt 'powerless.' 'If there had been something that caught my attention or that they (my staff and private contractors) had told me: 'look, we need to check this, that, or the other,' I would have gladly done it,' he said.
