Three men on a Philadelphia bridge repair crew are accused of disturbing a nest of peregrine falcons and lying to investigators.
The men, who worked for the Maryland-based Liberty-Alpha Joint Venture, face conspiracy, witness tampering and other charges from their Girard Point Bridge project in 2011.
Prosecutors said Nikolaos Frangos and George Capuzello, both of Campbell, Ohio, told workers to ignore restrictions meant to protect the falcons.
Federal investigators said workers intentionally used heavy equipment causing the birds to abandon their unhatched eggs.
Authorities say Frangos and Capuzello subsequently lied to investigators to conceal that several workers were living in the country illegally.
One of those workers -- Mikhail Zubialevich of Princeton, New Jersey -- is also charged with lying to investigators.
