Owners of the Saigon Grill restaurants in Manhattan, New York have just been charged with over 400 counts of criminal acts, including fraud, minimum wage violations and witness tampering. Simon and Michelle Nget, the owners of the two trendy Asian eateries, have pled not guilty to all charges.
According to authorities, the Ngets have committed a series of felonies over the past few years. Among their most prevalent crimes were violating minimum wage laws and creating false business documents.
In the upcoming trial, prosecutors plan on proving that:
While this can be a legitimate practice in particular circumstances, according to prosecutors, the Ngets’ so-called “policies” were absurd, and the associated fees were illegal and obscenely high. Between $20 and $200 would be deducted from workers’ paychecks upon policy violations.
In one notable example, the Ngets allegedly charged a worker for letting a door slam as he left the restaurant.
Along with these minimum wage violations, each defendant has also been indicted on the following Class E felonies:
Defense lawyers for the Ngets have stated that none of the alleged charges is valid and that restaurant employees are lying about such criminal acts. Currently, Simon Nget is free on a $50,000 bail bond. Michelle Nget is free on a $20,000 bail bond.
(Source: New York Times)
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Tags: wage violations, witness tampering