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Article

13 Jan 2025

Author:
By Arun Venugopal, Gothamist (USA)

Manhattan-based builder accused of cheating immigrant workers out of $67K

See all tags Allegations

A Manhattan-based construction company has been indicted on charges that it stole $67,000 in wages owed to immigrant laborers.

KEP Construction and owner Kendis Paul, 45, failed to pay 10 employees for work they did on the Upper West Side between September 2023 and February 2024, according to the criminal complaint filed in state supreme court. Paul is charged with grand larceny and fraud.

They pleaded not guilty to the charges. Kevin Canfield, an attorney for Paul, did not return calls seeking comment.

District Attorney Alvin Bragg said that while the sum could represent a “relatively low dollar amount,” for those earning a minimum wage, “this amount of money can have life-altering consequences.”

He said the investigation into KEP Construction’s practices were “ongoing” and urged any other former employees to come forward with wage theft claims.

Bragg noted that the workers were were “Spanish-speaking” and recent immigrants, but did not disclose their residency status. Many workers are being assisted in their claims by the Workers Justice Project, which said migrant workers are especially vulnerable to wage exploitation…

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