Glen Oaks Businessman Charged With Cheating Workers Out Of $1.5M

GLEN OAKS, QUEENS — A Glen Oaks business owner stands accused of cheating his employees out of more than $1.5 million in wages for performing electrical work in New York City public schools, the Queens district attorney's office announced Thursday.

A Queens grand jury handed down a 66-count indictment charging Jagdeep Deol and his company, Laser Electrical Contracting Inc., with grand larceny, failure to pay prevailing wages and a scheme to defraud, among other crimes.

Prosecutors accused Deol, 36, of underpaying at least 11 employees who performed millions of dollars worth of electrical work in city schools between 2014 and 2018.

Deol also submitted hundreds of falsified payroll reports to the Department of Education and the School Construction Authority, according to Department of Investigation Commissioner Margaret Garnett, whose agency helped investigate the employees' claims.

"This kind of criminal behavior is a priority for DOI because it exploits workers, wastes government money, and harms competing businesses who are playing by the rules," Garnett said.

If convicted, Deol faces a minimum sentence of probation to up to 15 years in prison. He is due to return to court April 6.