MINEOLA, N.Y. The first prosecution under Nassau County’s modified 2023 Grand Larceny Act for wage theft has been brought against the owners of Anatolia Mediterranean & Grill in West Hempstead for allegedly underpaying their staff by nearly $60,000 over a seven-month period, officials said.
According to Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly, Mahmut Max Unver, 43, and John Canturk Yilmaz, 50, were arraigned this month on counts of grand theft in the second degree, scheme to defraud, and failure to pay wages. Both entered not guilty pleas and, if found guilty, could spend up to 15 years behind bars.
According to the prosecution, Unver and Yilmaz underpaid nine workers at their restaurant between September 2023 and April 2024; the individual wage gaps ranged from $1,696 to almost $11,000. They are also charged with not paying the state almost $14,000 in unemployment insurance contributions since September 2022.
DA Donnelly stated, “My office does not tolerate the exploitation of hard-working employees.” The defendants allegedly broke the law and devalued the worth and dignity of people who contributed to the establishment of their company by underpaying their employees by over $60,000.
Prosecutors can combine underpayments to a whole workforce into a single grand larceny prosecution because of a strengthened New York State legislation that redefines wage fraud as larceny. According to officials, this case highlights a renewed emphasis on using the modified statute to hold employers accountable for wage fraud.
Yilmaz is expected to appear in court again on December 13, 2024, while Unver and Red Lions Food Corp., the company that runs Anatolia Mediterranean & Grill, are due back on January 6, 2025.
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