Wage Theft Conviction of Business Owner

The Superior Court of California, County of San Diego, convicted the owner of a Thai restaurant to two years in jail (among other penalties) for forcing employees to work through breaks and meal periods.

The Court found the defendant guilty of felony grand theft of labor for failing to pay workers as promised, and felony grand theft of tips. The business owner was also found guilty for refusing to pay wages when she had the ability to do so and for failing to provide itemized wage statements.

This appears to be the first time a prosecutor in California pursues criminal charges for wage theft. Hopefully, it won’t be the last.

Author: Javier Rivera-Carbone

Javier is an employment law litigator, workplace investigator and labor relations consultant. He has an excellent record of achieving positive results for clients in employment law matters and labor-management relations. Javier is dedicated to workplace fairness and mainly represents employees, but he also represents carefully chosen employers.