are punishable by up to three years in jail, prosecutors across the state rarely filed criminal charges based solely on wage theft.Since 2015, the state’s Labor Commissioner’s Office has investigated 16 labor violation cases that resulted in criminal charges, spokesperson Paola Laverde said in an email; 11 of those cases involved wage theft.
19,000 unpaid wage claims for a total of $320 million, which also are usually handled administratively.As California continues to grapple with the scope of wage theft, prosecutors say criminal charges could become more common. Several prosecutors’ offices in recent years have announced units that will focus on labor violations such as wage theft.
Five years ago, the criminal investigation unit in the Labor Commissioner’s office forwarded three cases to prosecutors. So far this year, it has referred more than a dozen, Laverde said.released last year by the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute. The study noted that since 2017 prosecutors in 15 states have brought new criminal cases against employers.
Others say the threat of jail time and the negative press associated with criminal charges are stronger deterrents than other labor enforcement methods.