El Paso contractor won’t pay workers convicted of wage theft

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – A contractor who failed to pay employees and subcontractors for construction work performed at several locations in El Paso has been sentenced to prison, according to the El Paso County Prosecutor’s Office.

Prosecutors say Joseph Arroyos pleaded guilty on Oct. 7 to a total of eight crimes, including charges of theft of services and theft of property. He was sentenced to five years in the Texas Department of Corrections.

Arroyos was convicted of hiring subcontractors to complete construction projects, receiving full payment from property owners and then failing to compensate workers for their labor, the county attorney’s office said.

In one of the cases in which Arroyos was convicted, he had subcontracted two people to build a concrete wall around a cemetery.

Arroyos was paid in full by the customer, but he did not pay the subcontractors for their labor and materials, the county attorney’s office said.

Prosecutors say Arroyos also refused to pay three other men: one who completed a tile installation project, one who worked on a roofing project and one who built a concrete block wall. Arroyos was paid for these projects by the property owners, but did not pay the workers.

The financial impact of Arroyo’s violations totaled approximately $105,500, of which $15,400 was specifically related to wage theft cases, the prosecutor’s office said.

The District Attorney’s Office says anyone who believes they have been a victim of wage theft, or anyone who has information about these types of cases, should contact their office or the El Paso Police Department for assistance.

For more information or to report possible cases of wage theft, contact the County of El Paso
Law Office at (915) 273-3249 or visit https://www.epcounty.com/CA.

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