August 05, 2024
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The owners of Pro Tri-State Movers LLC and EJ Relocations LLC exploited their employees with wage theft and threats of violence and deportation, according to Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner.
Three owners of a moving company that went by multiple names have been arrested for stealing from and threatening their workers, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said.
Krasner announced charges against Michael M. Tapia, 36, Juan Carlos Tapia, 40, and Juliana Santos-Tapia, 38, at a news conference Monday. The Tapia family operated a moving business in Somerton that prosecutors said exploited workers, some of whom were undocumented, by withholding pay and overtime. The owners also forced their staff to work through injuries and on days off. When employees complained, they were threatened with physical violence and deportation, prosecutors said.
The company went by at least two names, Pro Tri State Movers LLC and EJ Relocation LLC, though prosecutors believe there could be more. Both businesses have numerous complaints and F ratings on the Better Business Bureau, which has not accredited either.
Krasner, who called the operation "a moving business that was pretty much a moving scam," said the Tapia family changed the company name multiple times to cover up their crimes and reputation. Prosecutors also believe the three defendants upcharged customers and withheld taxes from the government.
The labor crimes enforcement unit has evidence that the Tapia family installed fake walls in their moving trucks to bill clients for full loads when they were only hauling partial loads, Assistant District Attorney Maria DiGeorge said. DiGeorge, who heads the unit, added that customers sometimes paid 2-3 times what they had been quoted. Though she did not offer a precise number, DiGeorge said "dozens" had likely been victim of the scam.
Since the investigation is still ongoing, prosecutors emphasized that more charges could be filed. They are urging any other victims to contact the labor crimes enforcement unit at 215-686-9902, da_labor@phila.gov or via an online form.
According to DiGeorge, wage theft and misclassification of employees as independent contractors are some of the most common labor crimes her unit sees. Both crimes are at play in the Tapia case, though the defendants are also charged with intimidation of witnesses or victims, conspiracy and involuntary servitude.
Krasner stressed that any workers hesitant to report labor crimes due to their immigration status would be protected by his office. In doing so, he also delivered thinly veiled criticism of the Trump administration, acknowledging that "there have been times in the past, different presidential administrations where that was not the case."
"Anyone who is concerned that if they report a crime, they're going to be hunted down, investigated, prosecuted by this office, that ain't how this works," he said. "We have an immigration unit that works all the time with witnesses or victims of crimes to make sure that ICE is going to show them some grace if they come forward. ... We are not coming after workers who are forced into that position. We're going to protect workers who are forced into that position and we have the power to give them immunity."
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