A New York drywall contractor was sentenced to six months in jail for workers’ compensation fraud that cost the state’s insurance fund $3 million. Juan Escobar, owner of Infinity Drywall Corp., Infinity Quality Services, JMC Drywall Corp. and JJM Builders, pleaded guilty to third-degree insurance fraud. Escobar must also pay $400,000 in restitution to the […]
A Wisconsin sawmill is in hot water with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) following the death of a teen worker who was operating dangerous equipment in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). An investigation was opened by the DOL Wage and Hour Division after it learned that the 16-year-old worker suffered severe […]
A Colorado construction company owner is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to manslaughter Aug. 3, 2023 for failing to follow OSHA standards leading to a fatal trench collapse. Peter Dillon, owner of the now defunct A4S LLC, pleaded guilty to manslaughter for refusing to require the use of proper safety equipment to protect workers in […]
A Florida construction company owner was arrested for workers’ compensation fraud after concealing almost $6 million in payroll to avoid paying a higher insurance premium. Miguel Porras, owner of Thiago’s Enterprise Construction Inc., was charged Aug. 22, 2023, with first-degree felony Workers’ Compensation Premium Fraud and Grand Theft. If convicted, Porras could face up to […]
A Florida sting operation saw the arrest of 14 contractors for failure to obtain workers’ compensation coverage. The sting operation by the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office was conducted to address unlicensed contractors working without required licenses and workers’ compensation insurance. This operation resulted in 14 arrests and two direct files for failure to obtain workers’ […]
An injured worker’s New York Labor Law claim can move forward after an appeals court found that there were triable issues of fact regarding whether the worker was the sole cause of the incident. The Appellate Division, Fourth Department found that a lower court erred when it granted summary judgment and dismissed the construction worker’s […]
The federal Interagency Task Force to Combat Child Labor Exploitation released an update on its efforts to combat child labor violations, including teen workers employed in hazardous occupations. A combined effort from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Wage and Hour Division and several other federal agencies concluded 765 child labor cases between Oct. 1, […]
A husband and wife were charged with workers’ compensation fraud for underreporting more than $4 million in payroll for their California-based construction company. Brian Hill and Leslie Hill, the owners of Brian Hill Construction, were charged with multiple felony counts of insurance fraud and conspiracy following a California Department of Insurance investigation. Brian Hill was […]
Federal investigators in Louisiana and Texas have uncovered child labor violations at 16 McDonald’s franchise locations affecting 83 teen workers. The Department of Labor (DOL) Wage and Hour Division found that these franchise locations were allowing teen workers to operate manual deep fryers and trash compactors, jobs that the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) calls […]
