In a twist of unholy behavior, the owner of a California taqueria chain has been ordered to pay $70,000 in damages to employees who were tricked into confessing their workplace sins to a person posing as a priest, according to an investigation by the US Department of Labor.
The “confessions” focused solely on job-related wrongdoings, catching the attention of the US Department of Labor during an investigation into unpaid wages.
“An employee told the court the ‘priest’ urged workers to ‘get the sins out’ and asked them if they had stolen from the employer, been late for work, had done anything to harm their employer, or if they had bad intentions toward their employer,” a press release from the Department declared.
In addition to the damages, the owner must pay $70,000 in back pay and $5,000 in civil money penalties for willful violations. The owner also threatened employees and fired a worker who complained. The Department of Labor condemned the employer’s attempts to silence workers and obstruct justice.