California Attorney General Rob Bonta has announced the filing of 31 criminal charges and two enhancements against US Framing West and two of its employees. The charges include violations such as grand theft, payroll tax evasion, prevailing wage theft, and filing false documents with the state. These allegations stem from activities between 2018 and 2022 when US Framing West allegedly used unlicensed subcontractors for framing construction projects across California.
According to Attorney General Bonta, "California has some of the strongest worker protections in the country, but there are still too many who are willing to skirt the law to make an extra buck." He emphasized that his office will not tolerate businesses or individuals stealing from workers or defrauding the state. He also expressed gratitude towards union partners and state agencies for their assistance in this case.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) began investigating US Framing West after being alerted by the Northern California Carpenters Regional Council about potential wage theft at an Oakland project. The investigation was supported by several state agencies including the California Department of Insurance, Department of Industrial Relations (DIR), and Employment Development Department (EDD). It uncovered that US Framing West allegedly failed to pay over $2.5 million in state payroll taxes and underpaid workers by approximately $40,000 on a public works project in Cathedral City.
Public works projects require all workers to be paid a "prevailing wage," which is mandated for projects using more than $1,000 of public funds. The DOJ alleges that US Framing West violated this requirement while working on such a project.
Attorney General Bonta remains committed to defending workers' rights. In recent years, he has been involved in various legal actions related to labor rights including defending wages in lawsuits and securing settlements over unfair competition and labor violations.
A copy of the complaint against US Framing West is available for public viewing. It is important to remember that these charges must be proven in court, where every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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