(Source: Brooklyn District Attorney's Office) Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson, together with New York City Department of Investigation Commissioner Mark G. Peters, today announced in a 40-count indictment that a contractor, his subcontractor and a foreman have been variously charged with stealing over $1 million in wages by underpaying 27 employees who worked on a construction project in Brooklyn that was financed by the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). The defendants allegedly instructed the workers to lie to integrity inspectors about how much they were actually earning and also demanded kickbacks from four workers.

District Attorney Thompson said, “These defendants were expected to make much needed repairs to these housing developments, and not steal from their employees and line their own pockets.  To make matters worse, they allegedly made the victims lie to conceal the fact that their wages were being stolen.  We’ll now make sure that all of the employees get back every penny that they worked so hard to earn and prosecute everyone involved in this outrageous scheme.”

DOI Commissioner Peters said, “For over a year these defendants not only deceived and siphoned over $1 million from their employees rightful wages, but doctored payroll records and covered up their crimes, according to the charges. The investigation initiated by DOI’s integrity monitor exposed this charged conduct.  In partnership with the Brooklyn District Attorney and his staff, we are working to return those workers’ stolen wages, restoring faith in construction projects in New York City, and stopping unscrupulous companies and their principals from getting further taxpayer-funded work.”

The District Attorney identified the defendants as Mehdi (“Morris”) Dayan, 67, of 120 Ash Drive in Roslyn, NY; his company, EEC Group Tech Inc., located at 366 North Broadway in Jericho, NY; Mohammed (“Taju”) Miah, 58, of 674 Rockaway Parkway in Canarsie, Brooklyn; his company, T&J Contracting Inc., located at 1590 Atlantic Avenue in Crown Heights, Brooklyn; and Sharifullah Sowpon, 41, the foreman of T&J Contracting, also of 674 Rockaway Parkway in Canarsie, Brooklyn.

They were arraigned today in front of Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun on the indictment that charges Dayan with first- and second-degree grand larceny, first-degree scheme to defraud, “kick-back” of wages and other counts, and charges Miah and Sowpon with second-degree grand larceny, first-degree scheme to defraud, “kick-back” of wages and other counts. Dayan faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted of the top count with which he is charged and the other defendants face up to 15 years in prison if convicted of the top count with which they are charged...