Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Jr., today announced the guilty plea of ANTHONY MARTUCCI, 60, for stealing wages from professional engineers and laborers working at a job site on East 14th Street under a New York City Housing, Preservation, & Development contract for emergency shoring work. MARTUCCI pleaded guilty to one count of Petit Larceny with full, upfront restitution of $36,786.36 to the workers, as well as a three-year debarment from New York City contracts.
“With this resolution, hardworking New Yorkers will be paid what they rightfully earned, and the unscrupulous owner of a construction company will not be able to bid on City contracts for three years,” said District Attorney Bragg. “I thank DOI for its partnership in rooting out fraud in our city contracts, especially in a field as critical and potentially dangerous as construction.”
DOI Commissioner Jocelyn E. Strauber said, “This City-funded contractor stole over thirty thousand dollars of his workers’ rightful earnings on an emergency building project in Manhattan. As part of his guilty plea, the defendant has repaid his workers and will be barred from bidding on City contracts for three years. DOI also will flag his criminal conduct in the City’s vendor database to ensure that agencies which may contract with him in the future are aware of it. I thank the City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development for notifying DOI of potential wage theft involving this vendor and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office for its commitment and partnership in protecting workers’ wages.”
According to court documents and statements made on the record in court, and as admitted in his guilty plea, MARTUCCI owns Tuccimar, Inc., a construction company that frequently works on jobs contracted by the City. In December 2023, Tuccimar was awarded an emergency shoring contract for an apartment building at 642 East 14th Street after bidding significantly lower than two competing bids.
Work on the building began on December 16, 2023, and was completed on January 12, 2024. Each week, Tuccimar sent certified payrolls to the City indicating the hours worked by each employee, as well as daily sign-in logs. MARTUCCI stated on each certified payroll that he paid or supervised the payment of each person employed on the job site that week.
MARTUCCI failed to fully pay three professional engineers and three laborers during the project. During the course of the investigation conducted by the New York City Department of Investigation and the Manhattan D.A.’s Office, MARTUCCI paid one of those engineers. The remaining five workers were owed a total of $36,786.36, which MARTUCCI transmitted to the D.A.’s Office earlier this month.
This prosecution was handled by Assistant D.A. James Clarke under the supervision of Assistant D.A. Judy Salwen (Deputy Chief of the Investigation Division) and Executive Assistant D.A. Jodie Kane (Chief of the Investigation Division), with Chief of the Worker Protection Unit Rachana Pathak, former Case Coordinator of the Worker Protection Unit Danielle Corbett, and Paralegal Lilah Hixson.
District Attorney Bragg thanked the Department of Investigation, particularly Assistant Inspector General James Ferris.
Defendant Information
ANTHONY MARTUCCI
Convicted:
- Petit Larceny, a class A misdemeanor, one count
Sentenced:
- Full, upfront restitution of $36,786.36
- Three-year debarment from New York City contracts
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