HAMPTON, Va. - A Hampton landscaping and snow removal company owner was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service after he allegedly failed to pay back wages to his employees.
According to the U.S. Marshals, after an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division and litigation by the department's Office of the Solicitor, Merryman Grounds Maintenance Inc. and its owner and president David Merryman were ordered to pay $45,846 in back wages and liquidated damages to its employees.
Merryman and the company will also be required to provide additional information to help the division determine if additional employees are owed back wages.
Merryman Grounds Maintenance Inc. allegedly has continued to violate the court's orders to pay back wages, including overtime pay, to its employees. The court ordered that Merryman be taken into custody and remain in custody until he pays the amount due and produces all required records, including employee names and contact information.
“When employers like Merryman Grounds Maintenance Inc. and its owner and president, David Merryman, flout the authority of the U.S. Department of Labor to enforce the law, along with a court order requiring compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act, we will use every instrument in our toolbox to bring them to justice,” said Regional Solicitor Oscar L. Hampton III in Philadelphia.
“The U.S. Department of Labor will continue to pursue actions to ensure Merryman’s employees and other similarly situated employees in this industry receive the money they are owed,” said Regional Administrator Mark Watson Jr. in Philadelphia.
If you have any information regarding Merryman Grounds Maintenance Inc. or are a former or current employee of the company, please contact the agency’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243) or the Wage and Hour Division’s Richmond District Office at (804) 771-2995.
