Guilty Conviction In Putnam Valley Wage Theft Investigation of Nearly $50,000
It was a guilty plea for perjury in the third degree from Joseph Fregosi, and two supplemental guilty pleas from his corporation, Fregosi Landscaping Inc., for willful failure to pay the prevailing wage and falsifying business records in the first degree.
Back in 2020, the Putnam County Got Course filed a complaint to the Putnam County District Attorney's Office about a project at the golf course where Fregosi Landscaping Inc. was a subcontractor. Along with the New York State Police Department, an investigation led to the discovery that Fregosi Landscaping Inc. had failed to pay their employees the New York State law required prevailing wage rate. In total, workers were cheated $46,889.
It was alleged that Fregosi, through his corporation, filed certified reports containing false payroll information that indicated the money had been paid th employees.
The Putnam County DA, Robert Tendy announced on August 26th that Fregosi Landscaping Inc. pleaded guilty in Putnam County Court to willful failure to pay the prevailing rate of wage and falsifying business records in the first degree, both felonies, while Joseph Fregosi himself, pleaded guilty to perjury in the third degree.
Tendy commented that 'wage theft in New York, particularly on government projects, is a big problem and it takes hard earned money away from those who deserve it the most. We won’t tolerate it. This investigation was the result of a tip—and we ask anyone with information about wage theft in our
county to contact us. Everything is kept confidential, and we take this very seriously.'
As a result of the guilty pleas, Fregosi and his company will be required to pay $20,000 in fines, in addition to the payment in full, of all money owed to the workers.