Grand Theft Classification Expanded for Wage Payment Violations

Grand Theft Classification Expanded for Wage Payment Violations

The normal punishment for unpaid or late-paid wages is monetary penalties. The additional path of misdemeanor or felony criminal prosecution has been available for years, but comparatively is rarely used. The California Legislature has signaled law enforcement agencies to consider the criminal route more widely by widening the definition of grand theft to include wage theft above an aggregate of $2,350 involving two or more employees in a 12-month consecutive look-back instead of the existing $950-plus per employee standard. As a result of the aggregation add, small amounts in larger frequency (for example, $50 unpaid across 50 employees in a payroll batch) could trigger grand theft prosecution avenue for authorities that previously did not exist.