Crane rigger indicted in collapse

NEW YORK, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- Prosecutors allege a rigging contractor knowingly used deteriorated slings to support a crane that collapsed in midtown New York, killing seven people.

Crane rigger William Rapetti knew the condition of the old slings when he used them to hold a 5-ton collar on a 22-story crane attached to an under-construction condo tower, Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morganthau alleged in an indictment Monday.

Rapetti, of Long Island, allegedly rejected a construction manager's offer of new slings, the indictment said.

Rapetti, 48, was indicted on seven counts each of second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide for the tragedy last last March 15, the New York Post reported.

Rapetti, who runs Rapetti Rigging Services, also was indicted on charges of reckless endangerment and assault, The New York Times reported Monday.

Arthur Aidala, Rapetti's lawyer, said his client is innocent and "beyond reproach" in the way he handled the rigging, the Times reported.