SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY – A New Jersey-based contractor has admitted to wage theft on a Long Island public works project, agreeing to repay nearly $100,000 in stolen wages after prosecutors found he misclassified and underpaid his employees.
Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced Monday that Geraldo DeAlmeida, 57, of South River, NJ, and his company, R&L Concrete, Inc., pleaded guilty to Willful Failure to Pay the Prevailing Wage and Supplement. The scheme defrauded five employees working on a public school construction project in the Longwood Central School District.
According to prosecutors, between November 25, 2019, and April 10, 2020, DeAlmeida deliberately misclassified workers on payroll documents to avoid paying legally mandated wage rates. Workers who were entitled to hourly wages ranging from $68 to $198 were instead paid just $22 to $25 per hour. One worker was left off the payroll entirely.
“This conviction reaffirms my commitment to protecting workers’ rights by combatting wage theft,” said District Attorney Tierney. “It speaks to our dedication to the fight against anyone who would fraudulently and illegally fail to pay employees for their honest labor in Suffolk County.”
As part of the plea agreement, DeAlmeida and R&L Concrete will repay $99,671 in back wages to the five workers. R&L Concrete pleaded guilty to a Class E felony, while DeAlmeida himself pleaded guilty to a Class A misdemeanor before Acting County Court Judge Edward J. Hennessey.
The consequences for the company extend beyond restitution. Due to its felony conviction, R&L Concrete is now barred from bidding on or performing public works projects in New York State for the next five years, under rules enforced by the state Department of Labor.
In addition to the criminal plea, DeAlmeida and his firm also entered into a separate settlement with the New York State Department of Labor, admitting to willfully underpaying workers and agreeing to provide further restitution.
The case was handled by Assistant District Attorney Adriana Noyola of the DA’s Financial Crimes Bureau and investigated jointly by the Suffolk County DA’s Detective Investigators and the New York State Department of Labor.
Wage theft has increasingly become a priority for prosecutors and labor enforcement agencies in New York, where construction workers—particularly those on publicly funded projects—are among the most vulnerable to exploitation.
The Suffolk County DA’s office has stepped up enforcement of prevailing wage laws, sending a message to contractors that fraudulent payroll practices will not be tolerated. Labor advocates note that such cases highlight the importance of strong oversight in public works projects to ensure workers receive the compensation they are legally entitled to.
By cracking down on misclassification schemes like this one, New York labor officials aim to protect not only workers but also legitimate contractors who face unfair competition from companies that cut costs by cheating employees.
Originally reported by Phil Stilton in Shore News Network.
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