Jury finds Westmoreland County restaurant intentionally shortchanged workers over $214K

A jury in a federal court in Pennsylvania determined a Delmont restaurant and its owner intentionally shortchanged 15 servers, dishwashers, bussers and cooks more than $214,000 in wages.

Picante Mexican Grille — Picante LLC, its successor Picante Grille LLC and its owner Helius Mucino — paid no wages to servers, who were compensated only through tips from April 2014 to July 2017, according to a release from the U.S. Department of Labor.

They also failed to pay dishwashers, bussers and cooks overtime when required and did not keep adequate records, according to the release.

The verdict follows a three-day trial and three years of litigation and confirms the findings of a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation.

Following the verdict, the department filed a proposed final judgment with the court to secure more than $429,000 in back wages and damages for the employees.

Channel 11 reached out to Picante Mexican Grille for comment.

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