Comptroller recovers $1M in stolen wages after years-long investigation

New York City Comptroller Mark Levine has recovered just over $1 million in unpaid wages, interest and penalties during the first four months of his term under five settled cases pursued by the Comptroller's Bureau of Labor Law. While the agreements were finalized this year, several date back to as early as 2017 and 2018, reflecting a backlog of investigations that have only recently reached resolution.

“At a time when the federal government is rolling back labor protections, the work of our Bureau of Labor Law is that much more important,” Levine said in a statement. “Settling over $1 million on prevailing wage cases in just four months is no small feat and sends a strong message that the Comptroller’s Office remains steadfast in our commitment to fighting on workers’ behalf.”

The largest settlement—$618,495.40—stemmed from a joint investigation with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation into the reconstruction of Hunts Point Playground in the Bronx. The case accounted for more than half of the total recovered and involved 24 workers. 

Investigators found that subcontractors Green Builders Group NY Corp. and Amin Electrical Corp. underpaid workers, denied employees supplemental benefits and required kickbacks. Managers at both firms also forged workers’ signatures on affidavits falsely attesting that they had been paid in full, including claims that wages and benefits were issued in cash.

Six of the 12 workers employed by Green Builders also worked for Amin Electrical.

The settlement includes $427,468.24 in underpayments, $89,263.93 in interest, $86,605.23 in civil penalties and $15,158 in investigative costs. Both subcontractors were debarred for willful violations and falsification of payroll records.

Representatives for Amin Electrical could not be reached for comment. Green Builders management did not respond to a request for comment.

Union says exploitation is part of a pattern

“The Green Builders case says it all,” said Lowell Barton, vice president and organizing director of Laborers’ Local 1010, which represents many of the workers on the project. 

Barton said the outcome—more than $618,000 recovered and the debarment of both subcontractors—demonstrates what enforcement can achieve when cases are fully pursued. He called on the city to expand funding for enforcement, including the Comptroller’s investigations unit and the Parks Department, arguing that stronger oversight would improve contractor vetting and reduce fraud on publicly funded projects.

A separate Local 1010 official said the Hunts Point case reflects a broader pattern in public contracting, where firms underbid projects and recoup costs through wage theft. He pointed to the history of Green Builders, which previously operated as Champion Electrical Mechanical and had faced prior wage violations on public work. In that earlier case, he said, workers were never fully repaid because the project lacked a bond, leaving them without financial recourse.

The official described companies like Green Builders as repeat actors—“bottom feeders”—who cycle through different corporate names while continuing to secure public contracts. Even when firms are debarred, he said, principals can reconstitute under new entities, limiting the practical impact of enforcement and allowing the same practices to persist across projects.

Workers fear retaliation

Worker participation in the Hunts Point case was limited, according to the Comptroller's office. Many of those affected—largely South Asian immigrants, including Urdu and Punjabi speakers—either declined to attach their names to complaints or did not testify at all, citing fear of retaliation. 

Officials said that reluctance remains a central obstacle to enforcement, particularly for workers with precarious immigration or employment status, and helps explain why some violations go unreported.

“Each milestone we hit is the culmination of a lot of hard work that ultimately begins with the bravery of workers standing up for their rights,” said Claudia Henriquez, director of workers’ rights at the Comptroller's Bureau of Labor Law.

Most cases handled by the Bureau begin with complaints from workers or, in some instances, unions, typically involving employers receiving public funds through city contracts or tax abatements such as 421-a. 

Workers can file claims confidentially through the Comptroller’s office where officials have emphasized protections designed to shield workers' identities—an essential safeguard given widespread fears of retaliation that often shape whether cases move forward at all.

Years of underpayment

In one of the other cases, Stagg Group agreed to pay $250,000 after investigators found years of underpayment affecting dozens of workers across seven Bronx properties, including homeless shelters. Maintenance staff, cleaners and security guards were paid as little as $9 an hour when prevailing wage rates required at least $14.

Sixty-seven workers will receive restitution.

Additional cases involved failures to pay required supplemental benefits, worker misclassification and falsified records across construction and building service jobs. 

Manetta Enterprises Inc. and an affiliated firm agreed to pay $70,000 and accept a five-year debarment after admitting to willful violations and falsified records tied to Con Edison street work. In Queens, 43rd Ave Condo LLC agreed to pay $59,001.92 to five building service workers at a tax-abated property. 

A smaller case against M. Bhuiyan Construction Co. Inc. resulted in an $8,251.90 settlement after a worker was misclassified and underpaid while performing roofing work.

Officials described wage theft enforcement as an ongoing, resource-intensive process, with cases ranging from clerical or accounting errors to willful misconduct that can result in debarment from future city contracts. 

Union officials have said that new violations crop up every year, but they can feel discouraged to bring them forward because, often, the city is still working to provide restitution in cases from years before. 

Still, officials from Local 1010 said even though the investigations can take years, they are necessary to protecting vulnerable workers and deterring abuse.

“That's what accountability looks like. But it only happens when agencies have the resources to do this work," Barton said.