Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler joined leaders and membership of the North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters “NASRCC” and Carpenters Local 279 at a press conference held on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, at the Orange County Government Center to highlight efforts to combat tax fraud, wage theft and other labor crimes.  

Each year tax fraud in the construction industry costs Americans untold billions of dollars. Much of this fraud occurs through paying employees “off-the-books”, misclassification of workers, and improperly treating employees as independent contractors when they are in fact employees who are entitled to all the benefits and protections that New York State law affords.  Additionally, unscrupulous contractors who cheat have a competitive benefit over honest contractors who play by the rules.  Employees who are paid off the books suffer from not being able to obtain overtime and other benefits and must often pay additional taxes which should be borne by the employers.  In short, construction tax fraud hurts everyone.

Since March 2015, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office has operated a Labor Crime Tip Line dedicated to receiving reports of crimes involving the workplace, particularly crimes involving failure to pay proper wages, unsafe working conditions, prevailing wage violations, workers compensation fraud, and other crimes where either employees or the government have been victimized. On the tip line, callers may leave information anonymously, or if they wish to be contacted by a District Attorney Office criminal investigator, they may leave their contact information. The telephone number for the Labor Crimes Tip Line is (845) 291-2107.

District Attorney Hoovler reiterated that the Orange County District Attorney’s Office remains committed to working with the building trades and construction industry, both public and private, to level the playing field against unscrupulous contractors that don’t pay their fair share.

“I have long prioritized supporting Orange County’s workers,” said District Attorney Hoovler. “This event not only recognizes the important issues facing the construction industry, it serves to raise awareness of matters that both directly and indirectly impact members of our community.  I am pleased to be working with organized labor in Orange County to ensure that contractors who cheat on taxes or illegally pay improper wages cannot enjoy an advantage over contractors who follow the law.