In a significant move against wage theft, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr. has indicted Kendis Paul, 45, and his company KEP Construction LLC. They are accused of allegedly stealing approximately $67,000 from 10 former employees, according to a statement released by the District Attorney's Office.
The charges, detailed in a New York State Supreme Court indictment, are one count of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree and one count of Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree, both felonies, with these employees, skilled in drywall plaster work on Manhattan's Upper West Side, having been repeatedly issued paychecks that bounced and denied overtime pay between September 2023 and February 2024, even though their employer was paid over $1.3 million for the construction services.
"As alleged, Kendis Paul stole thousands of dollars in wages from employees who dedicated hours of labor to a construction project," District Attorney Bragg said; he emphasized the importance of fair compensation for workers and the office's ongoing efforts to prosecute those exploiting their employees, Bragg has invited any other victims of KEP to come forward by contacting the D.A.’s office.
Supporting the D.A.'s stance, New York State Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon denounced the act of wage theft, highlighting the collaborative efforts with the Manhattan D.A.'s Office in protecting workers from such exploitation and the shared commitment to address labor abuses, these are allegations that paint a broader picture of the struggles faced by non-native English speakers and recent immigrants in the New York City labor landscape.
KEP Construction's Paul faces serious charges in connection with these activities, which have left workers shortchanged tens of thousands of dollars—workers who were forced to resort to repeated, but unheeded, requests for their lawful earnings.
The indictment comes as part of the broader initiatives of the Manhattan D.A.’s Worker Protection Unit, established in February 2023 to tackle wage theft and other worker exploitations, with the unit so far successfully recovering and redistributing over $1.3 million in stolen wages across various cases.
Assistant D.A. Rachana Pathak, who leads the Worker Protection Unit, is prosecuting this case, supported by a team that includes paralegal and investigative staff, while D.A. Bragg acknowledged the Department of Labor for its valuable assistance in the matter.
