Long Island, Queens Food Markets Failed To Pay Employees $450K In Wages: AG

Two grocers that operated food markets in Hicksville and Floral Park pleaded guilty on Wednesday to charges connected to failing to pay workers nearly $450,000 in wages, Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced.

Two grocers— S&L Vegetables, Corp. and J&B Vegetables, Inc.— that did business as Apna Bazar Cash & Carry (“Apna Bazar”) pleaded guilty to first-degree falsifying business records, failure to pay wages and willful failure to pay contributions.

"The defendants in this case acted out of greed, cheating over 150 hardworking employees out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in wages they earned," Schneiderman said in a press release.

Officials say Apna Bazar repeatedly failed to properly pay more than 150 employees proper minimum wage and overtime at markets, located at 217 Bethpage Road in Hicksville and 260-04 Hillside Ave. in Floral Park, Queens, from 2015 to 2015.

The employees worked over 60 hours per week but were paid a fixed daily amount that resulted in paychecks that were well below the state minimum wage for even a typical 40 hour workweek, the AG says.

Apna Bazar entities also failed to accurately report to the NYSDOL the number of employees working at both locations during this period, the AG says. The business falsified New York State Quarterly Combined Withholding, Wage Reporting and Unemployment Insurance Return forms—resulting in significant underpayment of unemployment contributions to the NYSDOL, according to officials.

“What’s more, in this case, the employer chose to attempt to skirt their Unemployment Insurance obligations," State Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon said in a press release. "The Department of Labor takes the responsibility of investigating these crimes very seriously and will continue to refer these cases to law enforcement offices around the state."

Apna Bazar was ordered to pay a total of $447,832.11 for unpaid wages and $162,445.47 in unpaid unemployment contributions to the New York State Department of Labor .

Each Apna Bazar market was also sentenced to a three-year conditional discharge with a condition that the stores undergo monitoring for one year as part of the plea agreement. The monitoring will make sure that employees are paid properly, there is accurate reporting of employees and all documentation is properly submitted to the NYSDOL, officials say.

The markets are also required to pay restitution for the back wages and unemployment insurance contributions. Attorney General’s Office confirmed the restitution has been paid in full.

Apna Bazar's Floral Park location via Google Maps