Raids uncover wage fraud at Contra Costa senior care homes
By David DeBolt, Contra Costa Times | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
In some cases, officials said Tuesday, caregivers worked 12 to 16 hours a day for
The off-the-books operation in
Four people were arrested and authorities served a search warrant at a Brentwood home as part of Tuesday's raids, capping a yearlong investigation that began after complaints were filed with the
"It's almost like slave labor," said
At the center of the investigation are three companies:
In all, about 60 workers are owed a total of
Arrested were:
There are no allegations that seniors living in the residential care facilities were harmed or mistreated. A
State records show that seven facilities operating under the name "Abraham Rest Home" had as many as 25 citations during inspections in the last four years, though some of those issues may have been addressed since the initial inspection. Five facilities shown as "Floran Care Home" or "Floran White Dove Care Home" had as many as 19 citations in their inspections.
Still, authorities said the owners profited at the expense of their workers and were able to build equity in million-dollar homes as a result.
"(The owners) can afford to pay off these million-dollar homes because they're only paying their workers a couple of bucks," Murphy said.
The homes will be allowed to remain open so long as the owners begin to pay legal wages and taxes and get in compliance with workers' compensation laws, Murphy said.
In a statement, Contra Costa District Attorney
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