Papa John's franchise owner accused of wage theft
The owner of nine Papa John's Pizza restaurants in the Bronx is charged with stealing money from his employees. Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said that Abdul Jamil Kokhar turned himself in Wednesday
News 12 Staff
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Jul 16, 2015, 5:31 AM
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Updated 3,219 days ago
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The owner of nine Papa John's Pizza restaurants in the Bronx is charged with stealing money from his employees.
Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said that Abdul Jamil Kokhar turned himself in Wednesday morning after stealing $260,000 in back wages and not paying his workers overtime.
Investigators said Kokhar had been stealing from his employees since 2013.
The Department of Labor discovered Kokhar was paying his workers with a check under their real name for the first 40 hours they worked, and then giving them cash under a fake name for any overtime.
300 workers are facing lost wages.
Schneiderman said that his office has zero tolerance for wage theft.
"When you take money out of the pockets of hard-working New Yorkers, you're taking food off the tables of their families," he said.
Schneiderman said Kokhar will face charges of falsifying business records, among others. Investigators also want Kokhar to pay back $500,000 in back wages and penalties.
