June 25, 2015
By Mike Cohen, LaborPress LI
Long Island, NY – Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has announced the arrest of Richard Orvieto, owner of the landscaping company Double “O” Landscaping Inc., in Suffolk County, NY. Orvieto is charged with failing to pay wages to employees and with defrauding the state unemployment insurance system. He payed wages in cash off-the-books and failed to pay required unemployment insurance.
“Wage theft is a serious crime. My office will take aggressive action, including criminal charges, where appropriate, against business owners who fail to properly compensate their workers, and who try to avoid other laws by paying workers off-the-books” Attorney General Schneiderman said. “Protecting the livelihoods of hardworking New Yorkers is a priority for my office.”
Double “O” Landscaping Inc., based in Stony Brook, NY, provides landscaping and construction services on Long Island. Between August 24, 2011 and January 31, 2014, Mr. Orvieto hired workers to perform landscaping and construction services but allegedly failed to pay overtime. In addition, former workers fired by Mr. Orvieto in late 2013 were not paid any wages at all for their last week of work.
New York law requires employers to pay wages no later than seven days after the end of the week when the wages were earned and to report all wages paid to employees on quarterly tax filings with the state. According to court papers, the defendant owes three former employees for unpaid overtime and for unpaid wages. He is also liable for unpaid unemployment insurance contributions, fraud penalties, and interest to the state unemployment insurance system.
