A northern Utah businessman charged with forging payments to employees is expected to plead guilty this week in Salt Lake City. The criminal case against 40-year-old Justin R. Hamilton was filed in March in U.S. District Court related to the payment of back wages from a 2016 U.S. Department of Labor Investigation.
The Utah Attorney General’s Office, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wages and Hours Division opened the investigation into business practices at Cafe Sabor’s Bear Lake location. Wage and hour violations were also discovered at Hamilton's Layton and Logan restaurants.
Hamilton reportedly entered into a settlement agreement to pay nearly $126,000 in back wages. Charging documents indicate that some employees were not paid and that the canceled checks used as proof of payment had been forged.
He has been charged with impeding administration of the law, a third-degree felony, with a maximum penalty of five years in prison.