U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite announced that KATIA MURILLO COSTA, age 42, of Kenner, was sentenced today after previously pleading guilty to violating provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Her company, KLV OPERATIONS LLC (“KLV”), was alsosentenced after previously pleading guilty to violating the Fair Labor Standards Act and to having representatives make false statements to federal agents.
U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo sentenced COSTA and KLV to five years of probation. The parties were both ordered to pay approximately $58,000 to the United States Department of Labor, Wage and Hour division so the agency can pay back wages to former KLV employees.
According to court documents, in November 2013, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”), a department or agency of the United States, began investigating whether KLV was paying its employees proper overtime and minimum wage pay in compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act. The investigation disclosed that the defendants, KLV and COSTA, failed to pay 47 employees overtime and minimum wage. In addition, representatives of KLV submitted materially false and fraudulent payroll and timesheet records to the DOL, in an effort to make representatives of the DOL believe that KLV was complying with the Fair Labor Standards Act.
U.S. Attorney Polite praised the work of Investigators with the DOL Wage and Hour Division, and Special Agents with the DOL, Office of Inspector General in investigating this matter. Assistant U. S. Attorney Sharan E. Lieberman was in charge of the prosecution.