San Jose flooring company owner charged with wage theft

Prosecutors say Martin Helda failed to pay nearly $1 million in overtime wages to employees

SAN JOSE – A San Jose flooring company owner has been charged with failing to pay nearly $1 million in overtime wages to employees, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office said.

Martin Helda, 33, is facing 20 felony counts of workers compensation premium fraud, Employment Development Department fraud and wage theft, prosecutors said in a news release Tuesday.

Helda’s arraignment has not yet been scheduled.

Prosecutors said the investigation began after an insurance audit found Helda’s payroll did not match the number of people he had working for him at All Bay Area Floors.

Helda withheld at least $900,000 in overtime wages owed to employees known to the EDD, but possibly as much as $1.7 million owed to all employees including those not known to the EDD, the district attorney’s office said.

“Greedy business owners are banking that cheated employees won’t come forward,” said Deputy District Attorney Vonda Tracey in a statement. “These workers did the work. They are owed the pay.”

A message left for Helda at his company was not immediately returned Tuesday evening.

Prosecutors said they cannot identify many of the workers who could be eligible for compensation because of “scant employee records.” Anyone who worked for the company can contact Investigator Lt. Michael Whittington at 408-808-3742 or mwhittington@dao.sccgov.org.

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