A Westchester contractor, exposed by Documented for continuing to operate his construction business despite a conviction for stealing thousands from immigrant workers, has been arrested again on new wage theft charges.
Artemio Fuerte, 40 was arrested nearly two weeks ago for allegedly stealing $51,720 in wages from five employees between 2022 and 2025. In an exclusive interview with Documented shortly after his arrest, Fuerte acknowledged that he owes workers money, but said he can’t afford to pay because other people owe him money. Still, he disputes the amount owed and claims his family has faced threats.
“For those guys, I have some problems with the money,” he said in a telephone interview. “I pay what I can. Sometimes I pay, sometimes no pay at the end. When they start work, I owe them money, but not too much money, like what they put in the paper.”
Fuerte was re-arrested on March 3 and charged at New Rochelle City Court on one count each of second-degree grand larceny, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, and first-degree scheme to defraud, which carries a maximum of four years in prison. He was also charged with five counts of Failure to Pay Wages When Due Under Labor Law. He did not enter a formal plea, and his lawyer did not reply to requests for comment.
“These hard-working employees were taken advantage of by the defendant to the tune of over $50,000,” said District Attorney Susan Cacace in a statement. “Deliberately withholding wages from your employees is not a bookkeeping trick, it is a crime. I stand with the labor community in demanding that all workers in Westchester be paid fairly, in accordance with the Labor Law.”
“Deliberately withholding wages from your employees is not a bookkeeping trick, it is a crime.”
—Susan Cacace, Westchester Country District Attorney
Fuerte’s recent arrest is only the latest in a years-long pattern of what law enforcement officials describe as serial wage theft. In May of 2022, the Westchester DA’s Office of Criminal Investigators Unit first arrested Fuerte for failing to pay four workers he employed with Fuerte Construction LLC $21,150. He was arrested again on Oct. 14, 2022, for failing to pay two additional employees $2,370. Fuerte was arrested a third time in 2024 for failing to pay two more workers $8,063.
As part of his plea agreement with prosecutors, Fuerte pleaded guilty to lesser charges and was sentenced to eight misdemeanor counts of wage theft. Instead of prison time, Fuerte was sentenced to three years’ probation, ordered to pay a $12,000 fine, and was required to pay $31,583 in restitution to eight of his victims. According to the D.A, Fuerte has paid his restitution, but it remains unclear if he has paid his fine.
However, because no state law exists that bars business owners convicted of wage theft from continuing to operate their businesses, Fuerte was able to continue recruiting workers unaware of his illegal business practices. Following Documented’s exposé, New York State Senator Shelley Mayer introduced a bill that would suspend business licenses of those charged or convicted of wage theft. The bill is currently in committee.
In an exclusive interview with Documented, Fuerte admitted he failed to pay his workers but refutes the amount he owes.
According to Fuerte, he was unable to pay his workers their full wages because his client failed to pay him, so he claims he paid them what he could out of his own pocket. Fuerte maintains that he wasn’t getting rich off the backs of his workers, saying that his financial situation was precarious, as he struggled to support his own family.
“One guy owes me a lot of money for like $90,000,” he said. “I don’t have more money to buy food for my family. And I tried covering as much as I can, because I have probation for three years. I have big problems already, so I’m trying. When that thing happened, did I disappear? And now they come back, and I want to pay them. They say, ‘No, I don’t want to pay’. I want to pay them.”
Fuerte, who spoke to Documented a day after his arrest, says his legal troubles have affected his family emotionally and claims that disgruntled workers who are owed money have come to his home, threatening him.
“I got four kids at home and yesterday, when they arrested me, they were scared,” he said. “So sometimes they come to my house, they knock on the door, they say they’re going to do something to me. They scare my wife, and it’s a very bad situation when they say that I’m not good. I’m trying. I want to keep my family good.”
Also Read: Explore Documented’s Wage Theft Monitor
你知道吗？非公民办理驾照时的这个错误可能会导致选民欺诈
When asked why he continues to operate as a construction contractor despite his inability to pay his workers and his mounting legal woes, he says that it’s the only way he knows how to earn a living. He stressed that he does all he can to treat his workers fairly, like buying them groceries or finding them a place to stay.
“They are not saying the good things, only the bad points, because you can do 1,000 things well, but they see only the bad ones,” he said.
Fuerte’s case is pending.
