Wood Framing Construction Company Owner Charged with Felony Wage Theft and Tax Evasion, Thanks to Nor Cal Carpenters, Law Enforcement Investigation

The Nor Cal Carpenters Union (NCCU) successfully spurred government efforts resulting in arrest warrants for Kentucky based company US Framing West (USFW) owner Thomas Gregory English and Accounts Payable Manager Amelia Frazier Krebs. USFW is related to US Framing, Inc., which claims to operate nationwide. 

A criminal complaint filed by Attorney General Rob Bonta specified 31 felony counts, including allegations of grand theft, payroll tax evasion, and prevailing wage theft that resulted in losses to the State and 19 workers of over $2.6 million. 

USFW performed work on projects associated with some big-name developers, including a subsidiary of Lennar and Carmel Partners. USFW also worked on Integrated Community Development affordable housing projects financed in part with tens of millions of dollars’ worth of State-subsidized Low Income Housing Tax Credits.

State investigators found that USFW hired unlicensed subcontractors and intentionally failed to report USFW's true payroll to the Employment Development Department (EDD) from April 2018 to March 2022 and failed to withhold and remit personal income taxes as well as premiums for state unemployment and disability insurance.

USFW also submitted false certified payroll records for workers USFW employed to build Veterans Village, a public works housing project in Cathedral City in southern California’s Inland Empire. The company unlawfully paid some workers piece rate wages, allegedly shorting the workers by over $40,000.

“This is a major win for carpenters across the state and reaffirms the work we do to fight for fair labor standards every day,” said NCCU Executive Secretary-Treasurer Jay Bradshaw. 
“We must stay vigilant in ensuring companies are held accountable for committing crimes against our workers.”

In April 2019, the NCCU filed wage claims with the California Labor Commissioner’s Office on behalf of the workers and contacted the California Attorney General’s Office (DOJ) regarding the suspected wage theft violations. The California DOJ’s Division of Law Enforcement (DLE) in Sacramento opened an investigation.

State investigators executed bank record search warrants, interviewed USFW employees, numerous carpenters and unlicensed subcontractors, and coordinated with Kentucky authorities to execute a search warrant at USFW’s headquarters in Louisville.

Links to documents in the article:

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Rampant wage theft at construction projects across California and the country has resulted in countless crime scenes where workers experience miscarriages of justice. Construction Wage Watch – an initiative of Carpenters Local 46 – is fighting for workers seeking justice by shedding light on these crimes while uplifting worker voices and stories. By sharing these experiences of injustice with other workers, the public, and elected officials we are highlighting those crime scenes of the past, while bringing change to this remorselessly toxic business culture.
Construction Wage Watch has Case Files where crimes against workers - such as wage theft and worker misclassification - have already been perpetrated, as well as Ongoing Investigations we are closely monitoring to ensure any crimes committed against workers are properly adjudicated.

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