NEW YORK, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- State prosecutors are considering criminal charges against New York City in the deaths of two firefighters last year, sources say.
Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau has been leading a nine month grand jury investigation into an incident last August in which confusion and errors led to the deaths of two firefighters called to put out a blaze at the former Deutsche Bank building. It was undergoing demolition after being damaged in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The New York Times, citing unnamed sources, said Sunday that Morganthau, in a highly unusual move, is angling to bring criminal charges not just against individuals but the city itself. He allegedly blames city officials for catastrophic and criminal failures of oversight and regulation of the building's demolition process.
Experts told The Times criminal charges against municipalities are very rare.
"It's highly, highly unusual," said Stuart Green, a professor at the Rutgers University School of Law. He added if the city or a city department were to be charged, it could face possible fines of up to $5,000 for criminally negligent homicide.
The move could also be a strategy to charge individuals as well, Green said.
