Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) Commissioner Samuel Levine announced a partnership to combat wage theft targeting immigrants. Under a memorandum of understanding, DCWP and the Manhattan D.A.’s Office will coordinate more closely on investigations and enforcement, including by sharing information, data and investigative strategies to more efficiently crack down on unlawful practices and hold accountable those who harm workers, tenants, immigrants and other New Yorkers.
“If someone steals your wages, harasses you out of your home or scams you because of your immigration status, that’s a crime, and we’re going after it like one. DCWP and the Manhattan D.A.’s Office are now sharing files, sharing leads, and moving together,” said Mayor Mamdani. “New Yorkers who do the right thing and go to work every day deserve a city that has their back.”
“We need all hands on deck to protect the New Yorkers who are bearing the brunt of the affordability crisis. One of my top priorities as District Attorney is taking on bad actors that target vulnerable Manhattanites through wage theft, scams, tenant harassment, and more. By partnering with the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, we will be better equipped to ensure accountability through efficient, effective criminal and civil proceedings. I thank Commissioner Levine and his team, and look forward to our collaboration to protect New Yorkers’ wallets and homes,” said District Attorney Bragg.
“This partnership allows New York City to work smarter and better to deliver economic justice faster,” said Commissioner Samuel Levine. “By sharing data, strategy, and a three-pronged focus on some of New York’s most vulnerable communities, DCWP and the D.A.’s office are well-positioned to achieve swift accountability and real economic relief.”
“A wage theft complaint and a criminal case used to move on separate tracks. Now DCWP and the D.A.’s Office are working off the same information, at the same time,” said Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su. “That’s faster accountability for the people who need it most — the delivery worker who didn’t get paid, the tenant getting pushed out of their home and the immigrant who got fleeced by a notario.”
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office investigates and prosecutes violations of New York State Penal Law, Labor Law and related statutes concerning wage theft, labor exploitation, worker endangerment, and immigrant-directed fraud.
Recent cases include the indictment of a luxury clothing brand for alleged worker exploitation and wage theft, the indictment of an individual for allegedly stealing from mobile food vendors and the guilty plea of a rental scammer who defrauded victims out of thousands of dollars.
If you work in New York and believe your rights as a worker have been violated or you are a victim of wage theft, contact our attorneys at 212-583-9500. We have worked closely with the Manhattan District Attorney’s office on wage theft cases and have recovered over 30 million dollars for victims of wage theft. Pechman Law Group is recognized as the leading wage theft firm in the country, fighting for the rights of workers.
