A Dominican Republic government report said that the April roof collapse at a Santo Domingo club that killed 236 people and injured 200 was a tragedy set in motion by the greed of its owners.
The report said that club owners Maribel Espaillat and her brother, Antonio, knew the roof was a tragedy waiting to happen, according to the New York Post.
“The defendant Maribel Espaillat, aware of a falling debris incident hours before the collapse and in response to a request to suspend the activity, refused to do so, citing the absence of the defendant Antonio Espaillat López and the impossibility of stopping the party, prioritizing economic gain over the safety and lives of people,” a government document said.
The Espaillats have been charged with involuntary homicide in the incident, as noted by CBS.
The report said the disaster was years in the making, citing “the chain of actions and omissions of the defendants, including the lack of permits, structural modifications without a technical basis, overloading the roof, deficient ‘repairs’ and disregard for danger warnings, demonstrates a systematic pattern of irresponsibility and negligence,” according to Dominican Today.
The report claimed that the Jet Set Club “operated with systematic and gross negligence in the maintenance and structural adaptation of its facilities, putting the lives of its customers and employees at risk.”
The club’s owners did not comply with building regulations as they went about making changes that ultimately impacted the roof, the report asserted.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office said the tragedy “would have been entirely avoidable if the defendants had acted according to the law and valued life over money.”
Renovations made without approval included the installation of a stage, lighting systems, bars, and VIP areas, “demonstrating a complete disregard for building and safety laws,” prosecutors said.
The roof of a nightclub in the capital of the Dominican Republic collapsed during a concert Tuesday, killing at least 124 people and injuring hundreds more.
Politicians and athletes were among those attending the event at Jet Set in Santo Domingo when disaster struck. pic.twitter.com/wcuXhXbDEZ
— The Associated Press (@AP) April 9, 2025
“The nightclub, originally a movie theater, underwent a change of use that involved an inadequate structural adaptation,” prosecutors added.
“A key column in the structure was subsequently removed, significantly affecting the roof’s stability, without any professional assessment or permit to support the modification, demonstrating high-risk behavior,” the document said.
As time passed, the roof became loaded with technical booths, ducts, air conditioning units weighing 15 to 20 tons each, and water tanks. All of the additions were made “without conducting any study to guarantee the structure’s capacity to support such weight.”
The owners allegedly knew about the roof’s problems “through visual reports (photos and videos) and communications from their employees,” the report said. “Despite these explicit warnings about falling debris and imminent danger, they chose to ignore them.”
Luz Contreras, whose sister, Jennifer Contreras, 24, was killed, said her sister “was my best friend. We were really, really close. Nothing’s going to fill that void. I’m going to forever miss my sister,” according to CBS.
She was outraged that a small fine and somewhere between three months to two years in prison was the worst that could happen if the Espaillats are convicted.
“OK, two years and a fine? That’s not fair, because you changed everybody’s life. Hundreds of people’s lives you changed. That’s what you did,” she said. “He’ll probably get away with house arrest. You’re living in the comfort of your own home. The comfort of my home has changed. My sister lived with us. Her room is empty now.”
The Espaillats face more than 100 lawsuits from victims and families of victims.
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