Attorney General Announces New Fraud Unit

Liz Gullett

Apr 26, 2019

Attorney General Dana Nessel has established a unit devoted to investigating claims of payroll fraud or misclassification. The Payroll Fraud Enforcement Unit will work with other departments and agencies to investigate and take appropriate actions under existing law when warranted. According to the Attorney General, the unit is meant to crack down on companies that misclassify workers to avoid paying full wages, overtime, and taxes. Members of the House and Senate Democratic Caucuses were on hand for the announcement. They plan to introduce legislation on this issue, including:

- Increasing civil and criminal penalties for payroll theft;
- Strengthening whistleblower protections and creating incentives to turn in violators;
- Auditing companies that commit violations; and
- Requiring companies that cheat workers to pay back-wages.

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