Magnifying Glass
Back to Sponsored Content

NY Attorney General Secures Wages And Guilty Plea

09 Feb, 2009 WorkersCompensation.com

                               
Buffalo, NY (CompNewsNetwork) - Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that a Clarence plumbing and heating company owner has admitted to trying to fleece his employees and was forced to pay them their past-due wages.

In 2007, Salvatore Musso, owner of Musso Plumbing and Heating, Inc. of Sheridan Drive in Clarence, was forced to pay thousands of dollars in overdue wages to the New York State Department of Labor (DOL) after an audit revealed that he had failed to compensate his employees for overtime hours and had made illegal deductions from their paychecks.

The DOL then sent checks to the affected employees. Once the employees received their compensation, however, Musso demanded they cash the checks and then hand the cash over to him or lose their jobs. The Department of Labor became aware that several employees did return the funds to Musso, and the Attorney General intervened in seeking to recover those wages.

Musso pleaded guilty to Attempted Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree before Judge Robert G. Sillars in the Town of Clarence Court. As part of his plea, he has paid the remaining $2,860.45 in wages due to employees.

"Western New York workers were exploited and degraded by this employer's criminal actions," said Attorney General Cuomo. "Hard-working New Yorkers must receive the compensation they have been promised and are entitled to under the law, or their employers will face consequences."

In 2006, the Department of Labor conducted an audit that concluded that Musso failed to pay his employees for all the hours they had worked and was making illegal deductions from their paychecks in violation of the New York State Minimum Wage and Wage Payment Laws. The DOL then collected the overdue wages from Musso and disbursed individual checks to the affected employees. Musso then demanded that certain employees give him back the cash or he would fire them. The DOL then referred the case to the Attorney General Cuomo's office when it became aware of the extortion.

Attorney General Cuomo thanked the Department of Labor for its participation in the case. The case is being handled by Assistant Attorney General Letizia Tagliafierro of the Buffalo Regional Office under the supervision of Assistant Attorney General In-Charge Russell T. Ippolito, Gail Heatherly, Deputy Attorney General for Criminal Justice and James Rogers, Deputy Attorney General for Social Justice. The investigation was handled by OAG Investigators Michael McCartney and Paul R. Scherf and Department of Labor Investigator Jeanette Castagnola.

    • Read Also

    IOH Announces Appointment of Scott Strickland as Chief Operating Officer (COO) 

    SAN DIEGO, CA — July 1, 2024 — Institutes of Health (“IOH”), a leading transdisciplinary Workers’ Compensation treatment organization focused on patients suffering from complex and chronic conditions, is delighted to announce the appointment of […]
    Rising Medical Solutions Becomes Bronze Associate Partner of WorkCompCollege.com 

    Lakewood Ranch, FL (July 2, 2024) – WorkCompCollege.com, a division of Workers’ Compensation Educational Services, LLC, has announced a Bronze Associate Partnership with Rising Medical Solutions (Rising). Their mission to “make lives better” is consistent […]
    The Key Role of a Workers’ Comp Case Manager 

    Close attention through the claim lifecycle ensures the best claimant outcomes   In the world of workers’ compensation, where endless variables seem to be at play, Horizon Casualty Services, Inc., (HCS) acknowledges that having a clear […]

    About The Author

    • WorkersCompensation.com

    More by This Author

    Ametros’ Melissa Coleman Honored by the IAIABC as a 2024 NextGen Winner

    Wilmington, Mass. (June 24, 2024) – The IAIABC has recognized Melissa Coleman as a 2024 NextGen Award Winner. Coleman is the Senior Vice President of Marketing for Ametros, which helps people manage their medical funds following workers’ […]
    ReEmployAbility Announces Free Webinar: ‘Overcoming Jurisdictional Return-to-Work Challenges’

    ReEmployAbility, Inc.Contact: Rebecca Dearth(813) 261-3117 | news@reemployability.com Brandon, FL (May 10, 2023)- ReEmployAbility CEO and Founder Debra Livingston will be hosting a second free, live Work Comp Central webinar in their continued series to educate […]
    NCCI Annual Golf Event Tees Up $25,000 for Kids’ Chance of America

    (Orlando, FL–May 10, 2023)—The National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) has given $25,000 to Kids’ Chance of America, supporting college scholarships for the children of injured workers. NCCI made the donation in conjunction with its Annual […]

    Read More

    IOH Announces Appointment of Scott Strickland as Chief Operating Officer (COO) 

    SAN DIEGO, CA — July 1, 2024 — Institutes of Health (“IOH”), a leading transdisciplinary Workers’ Compensation treatment organization focused on patients suffering from complex and chronic conditions, is delighted to announce the appointment of […]
    Rising Medical Solutions Becomes Bronze Associate Partner of WorkCompCollege.com 

    Lakewood Ranch, FL (July 2, 2024) – WorkCompCollege.com, a division of Workers’ Compensation Educational Services, LLC, has announced a Bronze Associate Partnership with Rising Medical Solutions (Rising). Their mission to “make lives better” is consistent […]
    The Key Role of a Workers’ Comp Case Manager 

    Close attention through the claim lifecycle ensures the best claimant outcomes   In the world of workers’ compensation, where endless variables seem to be at play, Horizon Casualty Services, Inc., (HCS) acknowledges that having a clear […]
    Ametros’ Melissa Coleman Honored by the IAIABC as a 2024 NextGen Winner

    Wilmington, Mass. (June 24, 2024) – The IAIABC has recognized Melissa Coleman as a 2024 NextGen Award Winner. Coleman is the Senior Vice President of Marketing for Ametros, which helps people manage their medical funds following workers’ […]
    PhysNet Achieves Fifth Consecutive Year of SOC 2 Type II Certification

    Jacksonville, FL, June 3, 2024 – PhysNet proudly announces its attainment of SOC 2 Type II compliance for the fifth consecutive year, reinforcing its commitment to providing enterprise-level security for customer data within its cloud-based […]
    WorkCompCollege.com Welcomes Alistair Ienstein as New Academic Innovator 

    June 20, 2024 – WorkCompCollege.com is thrilled to announce the appointment of Alistair Ienstein as its new Academic Innovator. Alistair, a unique and revolutionary AI presence, is poised to transform the learning experience for students […]

    Request a Demo

    To request a free demo of one of our products, please fill in this form. Our sales team will get back to you shortly.