In what the Brooklyn District Attorney's office is calling a large-scale wage theft case, the owner and managers of Hothead Grabba, LLC, along with the company itself, have been hit with a 74-count indictment. The charges include grand larceny, conspiracy, and other related offenses for allegedly stealing about $310,000 from their employees who worked at the company's tobacco processing plant in Cypress Hills, according to a statement from the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office.
The defendants, detailed in the Brooklyn DA’s announcement, include Hunter Segree, Isayed Rojas, Joshua Howard, and the company they operated. More than two dozen employees were allegedly subject to conditions that systematically skirted minimum wage laws and labor regulations. District Attorney Eric Gonzalez remarked, "We allege that these defendants operated a business that profited by systematically underpaying their employees, denying them basic protections, and exposing them to hazardous and degrading conditions." These charges are part of Brooklyn's broader effort to clamp down on exploitation of workers.
According to the investigation, workers at Hothead Grabba's facility were made to work roughly 12 hours a day for up to seven days a week, without legitimate breaks, in poorly ventilated rooms, for wages that fell far below the mandated minimum. Employees, mostly women, were paid by the weight of the tobacco they processed instead an hourly wage, earning approximately $7 per pound, equating to wages less than minimum wage and overtime requirements.
Commissioner of the New York State Department of Labor (NYS DOL) Roberta Reardon stated, "New York State has zero tolerance for anyone who cheats their workers out of hard-earned pay or forces them to work in dangerous and illegal conditions." With the recent expansion of the department's enforcement powers, NYS DOL, in conjunction with other state agencies, intends to intensify its fight against worker exploitation and emphasize fair compensation, as per the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office.
The investigation also revealed significant safety violations at the factory, including a single exit that was often blocked and no signage indicating it in case of emergencies. This case is a concerted effort involving the NYS DOL, NYS Workers’ Compensation Board, and the NYS Inspector General's Office. Following the initial stop work order issued for failing to maintain workers’ compensation insurance, the business had moved to Queens where it continued the same illicit practices. The three individuals and the company were released without bail and are due back in court on August 13.
