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U.S. Department of Labor

NJ Amazon Worker Deaths Spark Federal Lawsuit: What Really Happened? NJ Amazon Worker Deaths Spark Federal Lawsuit: What Really Happened?
NJ Amazon Worker Deaths Spark Federal Lawsuit: What Really Happened? A support group for warehouse workers has filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), demanding transparency into three worker deaths at Amazon warehouses across the state in 2022.  The lawsuit, filed in the District of New Jersey this week, accuses the DOL of violating the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) by failing to release Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) investigation records. The complaint, submitted by Leonia resident Daniel Schlademan, highlights alarming allegations about the working conditions at Amazon facilities in Carteret and …
NJ Restaurant Fined $168K For Failing To Pay Workers In Overtime NJ Restaurant Fined $168K For Failing To Pay Workers In Overtime
NJ Restaurant Fined $168K For Failing To Pay Workers In Overtime A New Jersey restaurant owes more than $168,000 after failing to pay employees for overtime labor, federal officials said. According to the U.S. Department of Labor,  Swahili Village Bar and Grill in Newark willfully failed to pay 84 servers, cooks, and bussers overtime pay when they worked more than 40 hours in a workweek, in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act. “Restaurant industry workers too often fall victim to employers who shortchange their wages and deprive them of their hard-earned wages,” said Wage and Hour District Director Paula Ruffin in Mountainside, New J…
Member Of 'Hit List' Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA Sentenced Member Of 'Hit List' Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA Sentenced
Member Of 'Hit List' Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA Sentenced 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A member of a burglary ring that specifically targeted Asian-American small business owners in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware was sentenced to a plea-bargained 33 months in federal prison. James Hurt, 48, of New York, and other members of the second-story crew worked from what the FBI called a hit list of dozens of homes in the four states based on “stereotype and opportunity" from Dec. 2, 2016, to March 20, 2019. The burglars often got into homes through unsecured upper-floor windows before seeking out cash, jewelry and guns, the FBI said In one instance, th…
Member Of Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners On 'Hit List' In NJ, NY, PA, Sentenced Member Of Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners On 'Hit List' In NJ, NY, PA, Sentenced
Member Of Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners On 'Hit List' In NJ, NY, PA, Sentenced 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A confessed member of a burglary ring that targeted Asian-American small business owners in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison. Kevin Jackson, 57, of Rahway, NJ, must serve a little over two years before he'll be eligible for release because there's no parole in the federal prison system. Jackson was part of a second-story crew that the FBI said worked from a hit list of dozens of homes in the four states based on “stereotype and opportunity" from Dec. 2, 2016, to March 20, 2019. One of Jackson's associates told detectives t…
Estate Of Welder Blown Through Roof At New Jersey Job Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit Estate Of Welder Blown Through Roof At New Jersey Job Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit
Estate Of Welder Blown Through Roof At New Jersey Job Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit The family of a 48-year-old welder killed in an explosion that blew him through the roof of a business in Gloucester County has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against his former employer. Bruce A. Cheeseman, of Cedarville, was working at Timberlane Welding & Services Inc. in Mullica Hill when the fatal accident occurred on June 15, 2022. The company performs truck and trailer repairs. The lawsuit filed by Lisa Labrusciano, as Executor of the Estate, does not mention a dollar amount sought but also names Taylor Oil Co. — which owned the truck being worked on — a yet uniden…
Family Of Roofer Who Fell From Passaic County Home Gets $75G From Company That Caused His Death Family Of Roofer Who Fell From Passaic County Home Gets $75G From Company That Caused His Death
Family Of Roofer Who Fell From Passaic County Home Gets $75G From Company That Caused His Death UPDATE: The survivors of a worker who fell to his death from a residential roof in Haledon will receive $75,000 after his employer admitted in federal court this week that his Middlesex County construction company failed to provide any fall protection equipment or training. The unidentified worker was installing insulation for a second-floor subroof in August 2019 when he took a step back and fell more than 20 feet, first onto a scaffold and then to a concrete floor below, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. He was later pronounced dead of a head injury. Despite the…
NJ Dairy Queen Operator Violated Child Labor, Wage Regulations: Feds NJ Dairy Queen Operator Violated Child Labor, Wage Regulations: Feds
NJ Dairy Queen Operator Violated Child Labor, Wage Regulations: Feds A New Jersey Dairy Queen franchise owner is facing a blizzard of fines. The U.S. Department of Labor has determined Kostantine Menegatos, who operated four DQs in the Garden State, violated federal child labor and wage regulations, forcing him to pay $14,000 in penalties and more than $9,000 in back wages. Menegatos failed to pay one employee minimum wage and did not pay 14 workers time and a half overtime premium for working more than 40 hours in a work week, the DOL said.  The franchise owner also employed 15-year-olds more than three hours on school days, more than 18 hours a week …
3rd Member Of 'Hit List' Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA, Cops Plea 3rd Member Of 'Hit List' Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA, Cops Plea
3rd Member Of 'Hit List' Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA, Cops Plea UPDATE: A third member of a burglary ring that targeted Asian-American small business owners in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware has pleaded guilty, authorities confirmed. Kevin Jackson, 57, of Rahway, was part of a second-story crew that the FBI said worked from a hit list of dozens of homes in four states based on “stereotype and opportunity." One of Jackson's associates told detectives that Asians were targeted “because it was believed that the victims kept large sums of currency and jewelry in their residences,” an FBI complaint says. Notes found in the defendants’ cars …
Member Of 'Hit List' Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA, DE Cops Plea Member Of 'Hit List' Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA, DE Cops Plea
Member Of 'Hit List' Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA, DE Cops Plea UPDATE: A burglar from a crew that targeted Asian and Asian-American small business owners in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware took a deal from the government rather than risk the outcome of a trial, federal authorities said. James Hurt, 47, of New York, was part of a second-story outfit that the FBI said worked from a hit list of dozens of homes in four states based on “stereotype and opportunity." One of Hurt's associates told detectives that Asians were targeted “because it was believed that the victims kept large sums of currency and jewelry in their residences,” an FBI c…
Burglar With Hit List Of Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA, DE Gets 50 Months In Federal Prison Burglar With Hit List Of Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA, DE Gets 50 Months In Federal Prison
Burglar With Hit List Of Asian Homeowners In NJ, NY, PA, DE Gets 50 Months In Federal Prison UPDATE: A member of a second-story crew who targeted Asian and Asian-American homeowners in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware for burglaries was sentenced to a plea-bargained four years and two months in federal prison, authorities said. Randi Barr, 42, of Union County, NJ, was part of a group that worked from a hit list of dozens of homes based on “stereotype and opportunity,” federal authorities said. Local, state and federal law enforcement authorities who teamed up to smash the ring found notes in the defendants’ cars that had the home addresses of individuals of Asian des…
'Gyro King' Of North Jersey Seized By Federal Marshals In Labor Department Dispute 'Gyro King' Of North Jersey Seized By Federal Marshals In Labor Department Dispute
'Gyro King' Of North Jersey Seized By Federal Marshals In Labor Department Dispute The operator of four North Jersey restaurants was seized by federal Marshals on Thursday for defying several court orders that he provide information that the U.S. Department of Labor has repeatedly failed to get from him, authorities said. Samad Uddin -- also known as Saman Khan -- owns Wyckoff-based Manhattan Halal Gyro King, which was incorporated four years ago and offers dine-in, delivery and catering services at "Gyro King" restaurants in Elmwood Park, Teaneck and two in Paterson. The Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division had requested information from Uddin as part of a complianc…
$2 Million Fine For NJ's 'Most Flagrant' OSHA Violator Upheld By Judge $2 Million Fine For NJ's 'Most Flagrant' OSHA Violator Upheld By Judge
$2 Million Fine For NJ's 'Most Flagrant' Osha Violator Upheld By Judge A Bergen County framing contractor dubbed New Jersey’s "most flagrant violator" of federal workplace safety laws the past decade must pay $2 million in back fines to the government, an administrative law judge has ruled. Juan Quevedo-Garcia, 42, of Palisades Park "deliberately failed to pay the fines and displayed a total disregard for the safety of his workers and for the law," Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker said. In doing so, he "continually put workers at risk of serious injuries or worse" at four different job sites in Bergen County, a federa…
Feds: Sussex Man Admits Spending $5.6M COVID Relief Money On Stock Market, Luxury Vehicle, More Feds: Sussex Man Admits Spending $5.6M COVID Relief Money On Stock Market, Luxury Vehicle, More
Feds: Sussex Man Admits Spending $5.6M COVID Relief Money On Stock Market, Luxury Vehicle, More A Sussex County man who was seized by federal agents as he tried to board a flight to Pakistan admitted fraudulently collecting $5.6 million in federal COVID-19 pandemic business loans that he put to personal use, authorities said. Azhar Sarwar Rana, 30, of Newton, used the money -- designed to keep struggling small businesses afloat during the pandemic – to millions in the stock market, make a payment to a luxury car dealership and send hundreds of thousands of dollars to accounts in Pakistan, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. Rana submitted an application for a stimulus loan und…
Jersey Shore Company Faces $13.7K OSHA Fine After Employed Couple's COVID Death, Agency Says Jersey Shore Company Faces $13.7K OSHA Fine After Employed Couple's COVID Death, Agency Says
Jersey Shore Company Faces $13.7K Osha Fine After Employed Couple's COVID Death, Agency Says The US Department of Labor says it may fine a Central Jersey company up to $13,653 for coronavirus violations in its workplace. On Tuesday, the labor department's Occupational Health and Safety Administration cited a pharmaceutical and, biotech manufacturer from Eatontown.  The company failed to protect dozens of employees from COVID-19 at its  Monmouth County facility, OSHA said in a news statement. A husband and his wife died after contracting the virus last fall,  OSHA said.  At least two other workers were hospitalized and at least 30 workers tested positive for COVID, the federal ag…
OSHA: Newark Contractor Admits Guilt In Death Of Worker Who Fell From Fair Lawn Roof OSHA: Newark Contractor Admits Guilt In Death Of Worker Who Fell From Fair Lawn Roof
Osha: Newark Contractor Admits Guilt In Death Of Worker Who Fell From Fair Lawn Roof A contactor that had previously been cited by OSHA for failing to protect its employees from falls admitted its role in the death of a worker who plunged from a roof during a job in Fair Lawn, federal authorities said. Trustworthy Roofing and Siding of Newark, through its owner, pleaded guilty Thursday before a magistrate judge to “willfully violating OSHA standards by failing to provide fall protection to employees engaged in the construction of a residential home,” Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. By doing so, he admitted, the company “caused the death of an employee,” she said…
Ex-Jersey City School Board Prez, Jersey Shore Lawyer Charged In $113,000 Embezzlement Schemes Ex-Jersey City School Board Prez, Jersey Shore Lawyer Charged In $113,000 Embezzlement Schemes
Ex-Jersey City School Board Prez, Jersey Shore Lawyer Charged In $113,000 Embezzlement Schemes A former Jersey City school board president pulled off a series of embezzlement schemes that netted more than $110,000 with the help of a Jersey Shore attorney, federal authorities said. Sudhan M. Thomas, 45, had previously been the acting executive director of the Jersey City Employment and Training Program (JCETP), which “received substantial amounts of funding from federal grants from the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development,” U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said. Thomas -- known as "Tommy" -- paid personal debts and expenses with $45,000 that …
COVID-19: More Than Dozen NJ Hospitals, Nursing Homes Cited For Violations COVID-19: More Than Dozen NJ Hospitals, Nursing Homes Cited For Violations
Covid-19: More Than Dozen NJ Hospitals, Nursing Homes Cited For Violations More than a dozen New Jersey hospitals and nursing homes were issued citations from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for violations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 14 New Jersey facilities are among 37 ticketed nationwide, resulting in proposed penalties totaling $484,069.   New Jersey had more hospitals cited than any other state, totaling $252,150. Hospitals and nursing homes issued violations and their penalties include: Valley Hospital Inc., Ridgewood, $8,675 Valley Physician Services Inc., Waldwick, $…
Feds: NJ Firm Pays $345G For Short-Changing Foreign Nationals In Trump-Opposed Visa Program Feds: NJ Firm Pays $345G For Short-Changing Foreign Nationals In Trump-Opposed Visa Program
Feds: NJ Firm Pays $345G For Short-Changing Foreign Nationals In Trump-Opposed Visa Program A Middlesex County staffing firm has agreed to pony up $345,000 to settle federal allegations that it underpaid highly-skilled foreign nationals who were brought to the U.S. to work under a special visa program currently under fire from the Trump Administration. Edison-based Savantis Solutions didn’t admit or deny the Justice Department’s allegations, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Craig Carpenito said. Instead, it agreed to pay back wages and interest to current and former company employees who entered the United States on H-1B visas. Although federal authorities didn’t specify their nation…
2 New Jersey Health Facilities Cited For Failing To Protect Employees During COVID-19 Pandemic 2 New Jersey Health Facilities Cited For Failing To Protect Employees During COVID-19 Pandemic
2 New Jersey Health Facilities Cited For Failing To Protect Employees During Covid-19 Pandemic A pair of New Jersey hospitals were issued citations by the U.S. Labor Department for failing to protect workers from COVID-19. CarePlus Bergen Inc., and Hackensack Meridian Health Residential Care Inc., were each slapped with citations from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). CarePlus is accused of violating respiratory standards at Bergen New Bridge Medical Center in Paramus, while Hackensack Meridian failed to provide respirators to resident-care employees at its North Bergen facility, OSHA announced Friday. A New Brid…
Paramus Delays In-Person Learning Last Minute Paramus Delays In-Person Learning Last Minute
Paramus Delays In-Person Learning Last Minute In-person instruction was set to begin Thursday for Paramus students. But Monday, the district's top education officials decided that would have to wait until November. Thursday remains the first day of school, but it will all be done virtually, Superintendent Sean Adams said. "While circumstances dictated the need for this adjustment, it is nonetheless an extremely disappointing turn of events for our students, parents/guardians, administration, faculty, staff, and Board of Education," Adams said in a letter. The last-minute change was largely due to employees with underlying medical…
Feds: NJ Postal Worker Admits $687,000 Slip And Fall Scam Feds: NJ Postal Worker Admits $687,000 Slip And Fall Scam
Feds: NJ Postal Worker Admits $687,000 Slip And Fall Scam A former U.S. Postal Service worker from Essex County admitted Monday that she pocketed unreported income -- and traveled to France and Africa -- while collecting $686,588 in workers compensation payments for an on-the-job slip and fall that she claimed disabled her, federal authorities said. Janeide Chillis, 53, of Irvington, pleaded guilty during a teleconference in exchange for leniency at a scheduled Sept. 10 sentencing on fraud and making false statements charges. Chillis began receiving workers compensation benefits from the U.S. Department of Labor after reporting that she'd been inj…
Workless NJ: Ex-Bakery Manager Among Thousands Of Unemployed Wondering 'When?' Workless NJ: Ex-Bakery Manager Among Thousands Of Unemployed Wondering 'When?'
Workless NJ: Ex-Bakery Manager Among Thousands Of Unemployed Wondering 'When?' Every morning, Jenn Polizzano-Demaria of Hawthorne wakes up and hopes for answers. Formerly the director of operations for Mr. Cupcakes, Demaria applied for unemployment benefits with the state's labor department late last month.  Nearly four weeks later, she doesn't know if she's been approved -- and couldn't begin to guess when she'll find out. She's not alone. New Jersey has paid about $1 billion in unemployment benefits since the COVID-19 outbreak began in March, the NJ Department of Labor and Worksforce said Thursday.  The payments went to some 556,000 residents -- a 560% increase …
Jersey Shore Man, 80, With Mob Ties Gets 10 Years In Fed Pen For Dealing Meth, Heroin, Fentanyl Jersey Shore Man, 80, With Mob Ties Gets 10 Years In Fed Pen For Dealing Meth, Heroin, Fentanyl
Jersey Shore Man, 80, With Mob Ties Gets 10 Years In Fed Pen For Dealing Meth, Heroin, Fentanyl If he lives that long, a Jersey Shore man with mob ties will be 90 when he completes a plea-bargained federal prison sentence for dealing crystal meth, heroin and fentanyl. Carl Chianese, 80, of Point Pleasant, must serve the full 10 years handed down Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Camden. There’s no parole in the federal prison system. The FBI busted Chianese at his home on March 14, 2018 during a search that turned up a .38-caliber revolver, a magazine for a .380 caliber semi-automatic handgun and more than $25,000 in illegal proceeds, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said. Chaniese an…
$368,783 Pension Theft Gets Teaneck Vending Machine/Jukebox Company Owner 2½ Years In Fed Pen $368,783 Pension Theft Gets Teaneck Vending Machine/Jukebox Company Owner 2½ Years In Fed Pen
$368,783 Pension Theft Gets Teaneck Vending Machine/Jukebox Company Owner 2½ Years In Fed Pen A well-known Teaneck businessman must spend 2½ years in federal prison for embezzling $368,783 from the employee pension fund of his vending machine and jukebox company, following his sentencing in Newark. Howard Preschel, 63, who paid five figures two years ago to settle a copyright infringement suit, admitted in federal court in Newark last August that he swiped the money over the course of at least eight years from CMG Vending Inc., which operated, leased, and rented vending machines throughout New Jersey and New York. Preschel founded and served as the trustee for the pension fund, from…
Fair Lawn Pharmacy Worker Admits Role In Multi-Million-Dollar Health Fraud Fair Lawn Pharmacy Worker Admits Role In Multi-Million-Dollar Health Fraud
Fair Lawn Pharmacy Worker Admits Role In Multi-Million-Dollar Health Fraud A massive federal health fraud case claimed another conspirator when a Fair Lawn pharmacy employee from Fort Lee admitted participating in a scheme that cost a federal workers' compensation program millions of dollars. Zachary Ohebshalom, 34, was the second of five defendants to take a plea deal from federal prosecutors, less than a month after Estela Arco-Blaustein, 55, of Mahwah pleaded out in U.S. District Court in Newark for her role in the scheme. Still facing charges is Dr. Mark Filippone, 71, of Wallington. Their scheme to fill bogus prescriptions for medically unnecessary pain crea…
OSHA: Washington Township Contractor Finally Pays $442,000 For Violations At Edgewater Site OSHA: Washington Township Contractor Finally Pays $442,000 For Violations At Edgewater Site
Osha: Washington Township Contractor Finally Pays $442,000 For Violations At Edgewater Site A Washington Township contractor and his company finally paid up $442,000 after OSHA spent years trying to collect penalties for workplace safety violations at an Edgewater high-rise construction site, federal authorities announced Tuesday. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia this summer found Altor Inc. and its president, Vasilios Saites, in contempt for failing to pay $412,000 in penalties. Following the ruling, they agreed to pay the full amount plus $30,000 in accrued post-judgment interest, the U.S. Department of Labor said Tuesday. The payment ends lengthy…
Feds: Wallington Doc, Fair Lawn Drug Store Owners Defraud US Workers' Comp Out Of $10 Million Feds: Wallington Doc, Fair Lawn Drug Store Owners Defraud US Workers' Comp Out Of $10 Million
Feds: Wallington Doc, Fair Lawn Drug Store Owners Defraud US Workers' Comp Out Of $10 Million Postal workers traveled from as far as Florida and Georgia to visit a Wallington doctor who helped the owners of a Fair Lawn pharmacy defraud a federal workers’ compensation program out of $10 million, authorities said. Federal agents on Tuesday raided the Morrissee Avenue home-office of Dr. Mark Filippone, 71, whom they accused of submitting bogus reports that allowed hundreds of now-former U.S. Postal Service employees to submit disability claims for injuries they purportedly suffered on the job. Filippone, a licensed physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist, also prescribed “expen…
Fort Lee Insurance Broker From Old Tappan Admits Role In $5.6M Health Insurance Scheme Fort Lee Insurance Broker From Old Tappan Admits Role In $5.6M Health Insurance Scheme
Fort Lee Insurance Broker From Old Tappan Admits Role In $5.6M Health Insurance Scheme A Fort Lee insurance broker who lives in Old Tappan admitted his role Friday in siphoning millions of dollars from Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield and the United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 2326 Health Care Plan. Lawrence Ackerman, 54, conspired with the former Local 2326 president, Sergio Acosta, to defraud Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of $5.6 million by covering 700 to 800 ineligible participants through bogus – or “shell’ – companies, a federal indictment handed up last year charged. Acosta, formerly of Passaic, pleaded guilty to embezzlement charges in April. Ackerman, who acted as …
Child Labor Laws Violated At Mahwah McDonald's Child Labor Laws Violated At Mahwah McDonald's
Child Labor Laws Violated At Mahwah McDonald's A McDonald's franchise owner with several Bergen and Passaic County locations has been accused by the U.S. Department of Labor of violating child labor laws at 11 New Jersey locations. S&P Enterprises Inc., based in Central Valley, New York, paid $8,829 in fines after letting 14 and 15-year-olds work too many hours. The teens worked after 7 p.m. during the school-year, more than three hours on a school day, more than eight hours on a non-school day and more than 18 hours during a school week -- violating limits set by the state law. "Child labor laws protect the educational opport…