Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

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SALT LAKE CITY -- A co-owner of Construction Associates Inc., doing business as KRT Drywall, Logan, Utah, has pleaded guilty to criminal misdemeanor charges for repeated and willful violations of the overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division announced today.

Federal Magistrate Judge Brooke Wells imposed a sentence Jan. 10 on Dennis Kim Pitcher, co-owner of the construction company, which includes 60 months of probation, a $3,000 fine, 300 hours of community service and restitution of $152,597 in back wages to 134 employees. Pitcher also was ordered to comply with all local, state and federal laws including the FLSA.

“The Department of Labor is committed to enforcing the law to ensure that employees receive the wages they have earned and employers who conceal information, lie to investigators and falsify records are dealt with appropriately,” said Dean A. Campbell, the Wage and Hour Division’s district director in Salt Lake City.

Construction Associates Inc. was sentenced to 60 months probation and was ordered to pay a $10,000 fine, to comply with all rules applicable to companies obtaining business licenses in Utah, and to pay back wages due to employees jointly with Mr. Pitcher. The company’s former bookkeeper, Ludean Parkin, was sentenced to 24 months probation, ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and serve 150 hours of community service after pleading guilty to violations of the of recordkeeping provisions of the FLSA.

The criminal action against the defendants ended a five-year Wage Hour Division compliance action. The case was presented to the U.S. Attorney’s office for prosecution alleging the defendants made numerous false statements and provided falsified records indicating that employees were paid overtime back wages when in fact they were not.

For more information about the FLSA and other laws administered by the Wage and Hour Division, call the U.S. Department of Labor’s toll-free help line at 1 (866) 4US-WAGE (487-9243), or contact the Wage and Hour Division’s district office in Salt Lake City at (801) 524-5706. Information also is available on the Internet at www.wagehour.dol.gov.

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U.S. Department of Labor releases are accessible on the Internet at www.dol.gov. The information in this news release will be made available in alternate format (large print, Braille, audio tape or disc) from the COAST office upon request. Please specify which news release when placing your request at (202) 693-7828 or TTY (202) 693-7755. The Labor Department is committed to providing America’s employers and employees with easy access to understandable information on how to comply with its laws and regulations. For more information, please visit www.dol.gov/compliance.