The former superintendent of buildings and grounds for Cayuga County may be under federal investigation after he admitted under oath Tuesday that he knew of illegal asbestos removal at the county Board of Elections building.

Ernie DeCaro was giving testimony in a sentencing hearing for John Chick, the suspended Cayuga County worker who has pleaded guilty to illegally removing asbestos from the BOE building in 2006.

The hearing in U.S. District Court in Syracuse was held in an effort to determine the extent of Chick's responsiblity in the crime. No one else has been charged in connection with the asbestos removal, which took place during a boiler replacement project at the county Board of Elections of building.

Chick has argued that he deserves a light sentence, but federal prosecutors have said he has not taken full responsibility for his actions and has been an unreliable witness in their investigation into the case.

The sentencing hearing has been adjourned until Oct. 29.

DeCaro said he knew of Chick's illegal activity and did not stop him. "I didn't want to be the one that turned him in," he said on the stand."

At that point, the judge stopped the hearing and advised DeCaro to retain an attorney.

For more on this story, read Wednesday's story in the print edition of The Citizen.