West Hempstead Gas Station Owner Underpaid Employees $275,000: DA

WEST HEMPSTEAD, NY — A gas station owner from West Hempstead was arrested today for criminally underpaying employees and threatening them, officials said. He allegedly underpaid 18 workers about $275,000 over three years.

Jernail Singh, 64, was charged with two counts of labor trafficking, first-degree scheme to defraud, fourth-degree grand larceny by extortion, first-degree offering a false instrument for filing and retaliation under the labor law. He was arraigned on the charges in Suffolk County First District Court and was released on his own recognizance. He is due back in court on Jan. 28, 2021. If convicted of the top count, Singh faces up to seven years in prison.

“Every single worker in this state – no matter what their immigration status is – has the right to be paid for their work and has the right to report unfair working conditions without fear of retaliation,” Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy Sini said. “It is unacceptable for an employer to exploit that fear and take advantage of their workers.”

Singh is the owner of MH One Enterprises, Inc., a company that operates the Sunoco gas station at 793 Suffolk Ave. in Brentwood. According to Sini, Singh paid employees at the station wages as low as $3.30 per hour, and also withheld overtime pay for employees who worked 70 to 100 hours per week.

Sini also sad that Singh threatened to file a false police report or call immigration authorities on any employees that complained about the working conditions or pay. In one case, Sini said that Singh took an employee's passport and threatened to call Immigration and Customs Enforcement and file false charges when the employee asked for their passport back.

According to authorities, Singh also submitted false wage reporting forms to avoid paying Unemployment Insurance Fund contributions. A state Department of Labor audit found that that Singh owes $9,000 to the Unemployment Insurance Fund and approximately $275,000 in wages, illegal deductions and penalties for underpaying his workers.