The Urban Group

Description

Between 2014 and 2015, The Urban Group's owner, Gewan 'Ken' Bharatlall, had six non-union workers perform construction related tasks such as demolition, masonry, carpentry, painting, and caulking. The company was awarded contracts to perform work on schools in Brooklyn and the Bronx. The defendants owner falsely certified that the defendant had paid the employees the required prevailing wages and overtime, but the defendant had paid the six employeses between $10 and $17 per hour without overtime compensation or benefits, instead of the mason tender rate of $62 to $63 per hour, totalling underpayment of wages of roughly $232,092.98. Additionally, the defendant hired 15 non-union day laborers in 2015 to perform construction-related work at various SCA job sites. Although the workers were performing construction-related tasks at the schools, they were only paid the standard rate of $31 to $38 per hour instead of the trade rate of $64 to $72 per hour, totalling underpayment of wages of roughly $71,317.99.

Prosecutors

Senior Assistant District Attorney Vivian Young Joo