Editor's note: The location of Grandview Landscaping Inc. was incorrect in previous version of this story. The company is based in Denver.
A Denver landscaping company underpaid and intimidated more than a dozen employees, many of whom were temporary foreign workers, according to the U.S. Labor Department.
The labor department said in a statement sent out this week that it has recovered $203,000 in back wages from Grandview Landscaping Inc. It also imposed just under $112,000 in civil penalties on the company.
The landscaping firm is owned by Fermin Guardado and Roberto Daniel Guardado. The U.S. Department of Labor said the firm illegally deducted transportation from workers' wages, illegally employed workers to remodel Roberto Daniel Guardado's home and intimidated and coerced employees into giving false statements to federal investigators.
Grandview Landscaping Inc. did not reply to Denverite's request for comment.
"H-2B workers can be especially vulnerable to wage shortages and other violations of their rights," said Denver Director Chad Frasier in a Wednesday press release.
H-2B visas are for temporary, full-time foreign workers. The U.S. Department of Labor has prohibited the company from hiring people with H-2B visas for five years.
The case comes after the Denver Auditor's Office recovered a record amount of stolen wages - more than $1 million - in 2022. City Council recently passed an ordinance further strengthening protections for workers at risk of wage theft.
