Prosecutors: San Jose Flooring Company Owner Charged With Wage Theft; Workers Owed Nearly $1M In Overtime
SAN JOSE (CBS SF) – The owner of a San Jose-based flooring company has been charged in connection with a wage theft case where he allegedly did not pay nearly $1 million in overtime to his employees, prosecutors said.
According to the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office, 33-year-old Martin Helda is facing 20 felony counts of workers compensation premium fraud, Employment Development Department fraud and wage theft. Helda is the owner of All Bay Area Floors.
An investigation into Helda stemmed from an audit which revealed his payroll did not match the number people he had working for him, prosecutors said. The DA's office said Helda claimed that he only had one full-time employee.
Investigators found that Helda allegedly withheld at least $900,000, but the figure could be as high as $1.7 million, saying they have not been able to identify all workers eligible for compensation.
"Greedy business owners are banking that cheated employees won't come forward," prosecutors Vonda Tracey said in a statement. "These workers did the work. They are owed the pay."
Prosecutors said anyone who worked for Helda is asked to contact investigator Lt. Michael Whittington at 408-808-3742 or by email at mwhittington@dao.sccgov.org.
It was not immediately known when Helda would appear in court.
