SAN JUAN, P.R. – José Manuel Abreu-Ramírez and Milagros De los Santos-De Abreu, owners of the upscale San Juan restaurants José José and El Catador D’Abreu, are facing a 25-count federal indictment, accused of a brazen scheme to defraud their employees and then cover it up. The pair allegedly failed to pay minimum wages and overtime, and when the U.S. Department of Labor came calling, they allegedly doubled down on the deception.
The indictment, handed down by a Federal Grand Jury on March 2, 2017, details a calculated effort to avoid paying roughly $23,448.47 in wages rightfully owed to their workers. Instead of issuing payments, the defendants allegedly had employees endorse checks – presented as proof of compliance – only to then seize those checks and deposit the funds into their own accounts. A classic bait-and-switch, trading promises for paychecks with outright theft.
The charges don’t stop at wage theft. Abreu-Ramírez and De los Santos are facing eight counts of false statements to a federal agency, three counts of wire fraud, eight counts of aggravated identity theft, and five counts of tampering with a witness, victim or informant. Prosecutors allege they coerced 20 employees into signing falsified Department of Labor forms, falsely claiming they’d received proper compensation. They then submitted these fraudulent documents, attempting to mislead federal investigators.
The indictment further alleges a brazen forgery – the defendants are accused of outright forging an employee’s signature on documents submitted to the Wage and Hour Division. This wasn’t just a case of sloppy bookkeeping; it was a deliberate attempt to construct a false narrative and evade accountability. The scheme spanned from April to July 2014, indicating a sustained pattern of deceit.
“This Indictment is evidence of our commitment to work closely with our law enforcement partners to enforce U.S. Department of Labor programs and protect workers from unscrupulous employers,” stated Rosa E. Rodríguez-Vélez, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “We will support federal agencies in their efforts to uphold the workplace protections and wages to which workers are entitled under federal law. The United States Attorney’s Office will vigorously prosecute individuals who exploit their employees and attempt to conceal their actions by obstructing investigations into employer compliance with federal law.”
Michael Mikulka, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, New York Regional Office, echoed that sentiment. “An important part of the mission of the Office of Inspector General is to investigate alleged obstruction of Department of Labor agencies, including the Wage and Hour Division. We will continue to work with our Department of Labor and law enforcement partners to vigorously investigate these types of allegations.” The investigation was a joint effort between the Wage and Hour Division and the Office of Inspector General.
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Key Facts
- State: Puerto Rico
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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