SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A San Francisco contractor was charged today with swindling four day laborers out of thousands of dollars he promised to pay them for working at construction sites throughout the Bay Area.
The district attorney says that the contractor, who goes by the name of Mike Abozaid, is facing four felony charges of grand theft and one misdemeanor count of not paying wages. He was arrested Monday and freed on 100-thousand dollars bail.
Court documents show that on at least one occasion, Abozaid threatened to report workers to immigration authorities after they complained about not being paid the promised rate or given meal breaks.
Abozaid could get up to four years in prison if he's convicted.
