A construction contractor found to owe the city about $960,000 in back wages and benefits to dozens of workers is still managing Bronx projects financed with public money, the New York Daily News reports.
The city had stopped awarding contracts to Lettire Construction — once the city’s go-to contractor for thousands of affordable housing units in Harlem, Brooklyn and the Bronx — after a federal investigation determined the company violated labor law in 2009 by underpaying workers on two projects. A June 26 settlement with the Department of Labor required Lettire to pay roughly $960,000 in back wages and take various transparency measures.
Recently, however, the firm has been handling two projects for the state Office of Mental Health: 715 Soundview Ave. and an $11.6 million project at 880 Tinton Ave, according to the New York Daily News.