NEW YORK - Today, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr. and Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) Commissioner Samuel A.A. Levine announced a new partnership to combat wage theft, tenant harassment and fraud targeting immigrants. Under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed today, DCWP and the Manhattan D.A.'s Office will coordinate more closely on investigations and enforcement, including by sharing information, data and investigative strategies to more efficiently crack down on unlawful practices and hold accountable those who harmworkers, tenants, immigrants and other New Yorkers.
"If someone steals your wages, harasses you out of your home or scams you because of your immigration status, that's a crime, and we're going after it like one. DCWP and the Manhattan D.A.'s Office are now sharing files, sharing leads, and moving together," said Mayor Mamdani. "New Yorkers who do the right thing and go to work every day deserve a city that has their back."
"We need all hands on deck to protect the New Yorkers who are bearing the brunt of the affordability crisis. One of my top priorities as District Attorney is taking on bad actors that target vulnerable Manhattanites through wage theft, scams, tenant harassment, and more. By partnering with the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, we will be better equipped to ensure accountability through efficient, effective criminal and civil proceedings. I thank Commissioner Levine and his team, and look forward to our collaboration to protect New Yorkers' wallets and homes," said District Attorney Bragg.
"This partnership allows New York City to work smarter and better to deliver economic justice faster," said Commissioner Samuel A.A. Levine. "By sharing data, strategy, and a three-pronged focus on some of New York's most vulnerable communities, DCWP and the D.A.'s office are well-positioned to achieve swift accountability and real economic relief."
"A wage theft complaint and a criminal case used to move on separate tracks. Now DCWP and the D.A.'s Office are working off the same information, at the same time," said Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su. "That's faster accountability for the people who need it most -- the delivery worker who didn't get paid, the tenant getting pushed out of their home and the immigrant who got fleeced by a notario."
About the Partnership
Under the MOU, the Manhattan D.A.'s Office and DCWP will share information, including confidential information, to further investigations and cases, consistent with applicable law. The offices will coordinate investigative actions, including parallel criminal and civil proceedings where appropriate. Each office will retain full independent authority over matters within its jurisdiction.
DCWP has long referred matters to the Manhattan D.A.'s Office for criminal review. This partnership strengthens that referral process and adds information-sharing that will allow both agencies to act more efficiently to protect New Yorkers.
The offices will also host a boroughwide outreach event with local labor, consumer protection and immigration organizations to raise awareness of New Yorkers' consumer and worker rights.
About the Offices
The Manhattan District Attorney's Office investigates and prosecutes violations of New York State Penal Law, Labor Law and related statutes concerning wage theft, labor exploitation, worker endangerment, immigrant-directed fraud, predatory and harassing landlord conduct and associated offenses.
Recent cases include the indictment of a luxury clothing brand for alleged worker exploitation and wage theft, the indictment of an individual for allegedly stealing from mobile food vendors and the guilty plea of a rental scammer who defrauded victims out of thousands of dollars.
The NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) is the nation's leading municipal enforcement agency charged with delivering economic justice and protecting New Yorkers from predatory, deceptiveand unfair practices. DCWP enforces the City's Consumer Protection Law (CPL), the FARE Act and labor laws including the Protected Time Off Law, the Fair Workweek Law and Delivery Worker Laws.
DCWP enforces the CPL against businesses that target immigrants with deceptive or predatory conduct and enforces specific laws and rules requiring transparency from Immigration Assistance Service Providers (ISPs), including people or businesses that charge fees for immigration-related services, often known as "notarios."
ISPs often target and mislead immigrant New Yorkers by charging excessive or illegal fees, falsely claiming they can provide legal advice or unlawfully "guaranteeing" immigration results.
New Yorkers who believe their worker or consumer rights have been violated should file a complaint immediately at nyc.gov/dcwp.
