Landscaper At Putnam County Golf Course Cheated Workers: DA

PUTNAM COUNTY, NY — A local landscaper who cheated his employees out of wages due for work on the Putnam County Golf course has pleaded guilty, District Attorney Robert Tendy
announced Thursday.

Joseph Fregosi, of Fregosi Landscaping Inc., pleaded guilty to third-degree perjury and his corporation pleaded guilty to willful failure to pay the prevailing wage and to falsifying business records.

Prosecutors said that during the summer and fall of 2020, Fregosi Landscaping Inc. was a subcontractor on a project at the Putnam County Golf Course. The Putnam County District Attorney’s Office received a complaint about the project and together with the New York State Police launched an investigation.

It was discovered that the company failed to pay its employees the prevailing wage rate as required by New York State law—cheating the workers of $46,889 dollars. Fregosi through his corporation sought to conceal this by filing certified reports containing false payroll information indicating that the money was paid to employees when in fact it had not been paid.

"Wage theft in New York, particularly on government projects, is a big problem and it takes hard-earned money away from those who deserve it the most. We won’t tolerate it," Tendy said. "This investigation was the result of a tip—and we ask anyone with information about wage theft in our county to contact us. Everything is kept confidential, and we take this very seriously."

The New York State Police and the District Attorney’s office saw to it that the workers were eventually paid in full.

Fregosi and his company will pay $20,000 dollars in fines, Tendy said.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Nicholas LaStella and David Rosenberg.