QUEENS, N.Y. — A former Queens husband and wife have been indicted for allegedly stealing wages from employees of two cleaning companies they operated, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Wednesday.
Christian Perez, 39, and Ines Perez Miranda, 42 — now residents of North Carolina — are facing a 14-count indictment that includes charges of grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, petit larceny, and failure to pay wages. Both of the companies associated with the couple are also named in the indictment.
According to prosecutors, the couple failed to pay thousands of dollars in earned wages to employees over a period of time while operating their cleaning businesses in Queens. The charges include multiple felony counts of scheme to defraud and criminal possession of stolen property.
DA and Labor Department target worker exploitation
“My Housing and Worker Protection Bureau is focused on prosecuting business owners who exploit workers,” District Attorney Katz said. “As alleged, this married couple operated two cleaning companies and failed to pay hard-working employees thousands of dollars.”
New York State Commissioner of Labor Roberta Reardon echoed the DA’s remarks, stating the indictment “sends a clear message that these injustices will not be tolerated in New York State.”
The investigation was conducted with assistance from the New York State Department of Labor.
