Fei Guo Tang, Child Pornography, Reckless Employer, Kentucky 2020

Frankfort, KY - In a shocking turn of events, Fei Guo Tang, 49, and Fei Zhou Tang, 51, two brothers from Frankfort, Kentucky, pleaded guilty to wage and hour offenses in federal court. However, their crimes did not stop there.

Fei Guo Tang admitted to knowingly receiving visual depictions of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct. A forensic examination of his telephone revealed five videos containing depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. He also failed to pay a total of $60,690.36 in required overtime and minimum wages to five of his employees.

Fei Zhou Tang pleaded guilty to knowingly making false statements on an Employer’s Quarterly Unemployment Wage and Tax Report. He also failed to pay workers time-and-a-half wages for hours worked in excess of 40 hours per week. He omitted the names of undocumented workers on multiple quarterly unemployment forms and failed to pay overtime wages to workers who worked more than forty hours per week. He failed to pay a total of $229,207.26 in required overtime and minimum wages to six employees.

The investigation was conducted by the Department of State, Department of Labor, Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, and the Kentucky Office of the Attorney General. The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Hydee Hawkins, David Marye, and Dmitriy Slavin.

The charges against Fei Guo Tang include knowingly receiving visual depictions of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct and knowingly failing to pay workers minimum wages and time-and-a-half wages for hours worked in excess of 40 hours per week.

Fei Guo Tang is scheduled to be sentenced on February 26, 2020, at 10 a.m. He faces not less than five years and not more than 20 years for receiving child pornography. Fei Zhou Tang is also scheduled to be sentenced on February 26, 2020, at 11 a.m. He faces up to five years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 for making false statements. Both brothers will be required to pay restitution, a money judgment in lieu of forfeiture, and a civil fine for failing to pay required wages.

The case highlights the importance of holding employers accountable for their actions. Wage theft is a serious crime that affects thousands of workers every year. The fact that one of the brothers also committed a heinous crime like child pornography makes this case even more disturbing.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edky/pr/frankfort-brothers-plead-guilty-wage-and-hour-offenses-and-one-also-plead-receiving