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

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.

A spokesman for the organization, which has alleged violations at a number of construction companies across the city, said one of the 10 workers who worked at KEP Construction has applied for “deferred action” — a commitment from the federal government not to pursue deportation against them while their claims are investigated. Under the guidelines, workers would receive work permits so that they could work legally.

Earlier this month, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said that “combatting labor exploitation helps ensure fair wages and safe working conditions for all workers in our country.”

“DHS will work with our law enforcement partners to hold those who prey on the vulnerability of migrants accountable and provide protection to those who come forward to report abuse,” Mayorkas said.

The workers were hired to do drywall plaster work, according to Bragg. He said the allegations followed a “painfully similar playbook,” similar to many other wage theft prosecutions.

“Issue a paycheck that bounces, refuse to pay overtime, and sometimes refuse flat out to pay workers altogether,” Bragg said.

“Cheating your own workers out of their hard-earned pay is unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” Roberta Reardon, the state labor commissioner said in a statement. She added: “We are dedicated to stamping out worker exploitation in all its forms.