California restaurant to pay workers $140,000 for hiring fake priest to coerce confessions

June 21 (UPI) -- A California restaurant has been ordered to pay its workers $140,000 after federal investigators found the owner had hired a fake priest to coerce employee confessions about "workplace sins."

According to Department of Labor investigators, the owner of Taqueria Garibaldi in Sacramento used the fake priest to intimidate employees and ask if they had stolen, been late for work or done anything else to harm owner Che Garibaldi as a way to "get their sins out."

"Under oath, an employee of Taqueria Garibaldi explained how the restaurant offered a supposed priest to hear their workplace 'sins' while other employees reported that a manager falsely claimed that immigration issues would be raised by the department's investigation," Regional Solicitor of Labor Mark Pilotin said in a statement Tuesday.

Investigators also found that the restaurant failed to pay workers overtime beyond a 40-hour week in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Managers were paid bonuses illegally from the employee tip pool. And some workers faced "adverse immigration consequences" for cooperating with investigators, including one employee who was fired for complaining to the department.

"This employer's despicable attempts to retaliate against employees were intended to silence workers, obstruct an investigation and prevent the recovery of unpaid wages," Pilotin said.

Garibaldi, who operates Taqueria Garibaldi restaurants in Sacramento and Roseville, and three other owners agreed to a consent judgment last month and will pay $140,000 in back wages and damages to 35 employees. The restaurant was also ordered to pay $5,000 in civil penalties.

According to the agreement, Taqueria Garibaldi is not allowed to take any action against employees who assert their rights, or "terminate, threaten or discriminate against any employee perceived to have spoken with investigators."

"The U.S. Department of Labor and its Solicitor's Office will not tolerate workplace retaliation and will act swiftly to make clear that immigration status has no bearing on workers' rights under the Fair Labor Standards Act," Pilotin said.