Four companies will pay up to $340,000 to settle allegations of illegal asbestos work during the renovation of a public housing facility for elderly and disabled residents in Salem.

The complaint and consent judgment, entered Friday in Suffolk Superior Court, settles a lawsuit filed by the AG’s Office against the asbestos abatement contractor E&F Environmental Services (E&F) and its owner and manager Frank Balogh, as well as three other companies – New England Builders and Contractors, Blackstone Block Architects and TRC Environmental Corp. – for violating the state’s clean air law and regulations while working on renovations at the Pioneer Terrace housing facility in Salem.

The lawsuit also alleges that the Methuen-based New England Builders and Contractors and Boston-based Blackstone Block Architects violated the state’s False Claims Act by submitting claims for payment to the Salem Housing Authority, certifying that the improper work at the housing facility was completed in compliance with state law.

According to the AG’s Office, during the winter and spring of 2015, E&F illegally removed asbestos from Pioneer Terrace by failing to follow the proper procedures required by law to protect workers, residents and the public from harmful asbestos exposure, including failing to properly store and contain asbestos-containing material. During inspections at the site, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) found asbestos violations by E&F employees at nearly every building they worked on in the housing complex.

The lawsuit also alleges that while E&F was working with MassDEP to remediate the asbestos violations at Pioneer Terrace, the company allegedly failed to follow required asbestos abatement procedures during construction at a multifamily home in Medford.

Under the terms of today’s settlement, the defendants will pay a total of up to $340,000 in penalties to the state.