Catalina Island Business Owner Pays $1.5M in Wage Theft Case
By Lily Dallow and Josh DuBose
A Catalina business owner has agreed to pay $1.5 million to dozens of workers who, according to Los Angeles County prosecutors, were underpaid for years due to a wage theft scheme.
Yueh Mei Tucey, also known as Nora Tucey, was ordered by a Los Angeles County judge to compensate employees who worked at her businesses between 2008 and 2022. The restitution and sentencing hearing took place on Monday, during which Tucey presented the $1.5 million check to the court. She also faces an additional $96,000 payment to the California Employment Development Department for underreporting worker wages.
The case emerged from an investigation by the California Labor Commissioner's Office, which uncovered a system of payroll aliases used to hide overtime hours and employees working across multiple Tucey-owned businesses on the same day, resulting in workdays up to 18 hours long. Many workers also rented housing from Tucey, making them particularly vulnerable due to her policy of evicting tenants if their employment ended.
"This $1.5 million recovery is an important step toward getting money back to the workers who earned it," said Lilia García-Brower, California Labor Commissioner.
Tucey's attorney characterized the case as an ambitious prosecution by the district attorney’s office that ultimately failed, but the substantial payment reflects the severity of the alleged misconduct.