Norco business fails to pay $74,000 in overtime

The owner of an electrical services company in Norco pled guilty last week for failure to pay his employees more than $70,000 in overtime and filing false documents that claimed each employee was paid.

Shawn Bradley, 47, the owner of Bradley Electrical Services, rose to fame after the Sept. 11 attack by co-founding Gumbo Krewe. The krewe was organized to serve food to first responders after the attacks and traveled to New York on Sept. 19. The group also made and served food to first responders after Hurricane Katrina.

According to court documents, Bradley violated overtime provisions from September 2004 until September 2006 and failed to pay 59 employees approximately $74,931.29 in overtime wages. Bradley personally agreed in writing to mail the proof of payments to the Wage and Hour Division by Oct. 31, 2006. On Nov. 29, the department received 54 forms that showed the individuals on each WH-58 had been paid in full.

Employees of the company said that Bradley had called each employee into his office for the purpose of paying them their wages. However, instead of paying the employee, Bradley told them to sign the WH-58 form or they would lose their jobs because Bradley Electrical Services would go out of business.

Bradley ended up paying only 18 employees back their full wages, according to the Wage and Hour Division.

Bradley’s company is still in operation, as is the Gumbo Krewe, which occasionally provides free meals for police and firefighters.

According to U.S. Attorney Jim Letten’s office, Bradley faces a possible maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The company faces a possible maximum fine of $100,000.

Bradley entered his plea Wednesday before U.S. District Judge Jay C. Zainey and is scheduled for sentencing on Nov. 16.