Grimaldi's Pizzeria owner and manager accused of stealing workers' wages

Both the owner and Manhattan manager of well-known pizzeria chain Grimaldi’s have been charged with stealing more than $20,000 in wages from at least seven workers at Grimaldi's Flatiron location and stringing them along as they begged for their pay, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said on Thursday.

Grimaldi’s owner Anthony Piscina, 63, and Frank Santora, 71, who manages the chain's Sixth Avenue location, were each indicted on one felony count of fraud and seven misdemeanor counts of wage theft in New York state Supreme Court, according to the DA’s office.

“Grimaldi's gave their employees paychecks that bounced [and] convinced their employees to continue working through partial payments,” Bragg said at a press conference at his office.

Both Piscina and Santora pleaded not guilty to the charges and were released. An attorney for the men could not be reached for comment. Calls and messages to both men and a spokesperson for the chain were not immediately returned.

Bragg said Piscina and Santora paid the workers far less than minimum wage, gave IOUs instead of paychecks and made “appointments” to settle wages but never showed up.

“I sure need money to pay my rent, please,” one of the workers told them in a text message, according to Bragg.

“Can you pay me my payment today, please,” read another text from a worker, per the DA. “I have an emergency.”

The workers included pizza makers, salad preppers, busboys and dishwashers, according to the indictment.

Bragg accused Piscina and Santora of mocking a Grimaldi’s worker who had threatened to sue for back pay. “They told him in substance, ‘I've got three complaints on me, the state is not going to do a thing,’” Bragg said.

Grimaldi’s originally opened in Brooklyn’s DUMBO neighborhood in 1990 and now has more than 45 restaurants in the United States, as well as one in Abu Dhabi. At least three workers sued several of the chain's New York City locations in 2016 over practices that were similar to those alleged in the new indictment, according to court records.

Bragg said the investigation started after his office received numerous complaints against the restaurant. He noted the power imbalance between Piscina and Santora and the workers, and encouraged employees facing wage theft issues to contact his office’s Worker Protection Unit.

“Please know that the office is a safe place to report a crime, whether or not you are documented,” Bragg said.