Workers' rights at the heart of new NYC initiative, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg says

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) Commissioner Samuel Levine are partnering up to combat wage theft, tenant harassment and fraud targeting immigrants.

The two men met at the DA's office Wednesday afternoon to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), cementing the new partnership.

The move comes amid New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's efforts to support low-income residents of the city, and paves the way for a more aggressive crackdown on practices that cheat workers and immigrants, whether undocumented or not, they said.

"Anyone who puts in an honest day's work and is underpaid or not paid is of great interest to us," Bragg told CBS News.

"We're saying, if you are ripped off in New York City, we'll do the work," Levine said. "Is this a civil or criminal issue, or both? This is a whole-of-government approach."

With a nod to what they see as inevitable exploitation of vulnerable wage workers, the DA's office and DCWP will begin closely coordinating on investigations and enforcement.

The collaboration will include sharing information, data and strategy to more efficiently crack down on unlawful practices and hold those harming workers, tenants, immigrants and other New Yorkers accountable, they said in an interview with CBS News.

The DA has already charged several over the past couple of years, ranging from business owners and alleged scammers.

In 2024, the owner of the famed Grimaldi's Pizzeria along with a manager at a Manhattan branch each pled guilty to withholding wages, according to The New York Times. Their attorney told the Times they were only guilty of bad bookkeeping. He did not respond to a request for comment from CBS News.

Other cases include the indictment of a fashion brand for alleged wage theft, the indictment of an individual for allegedly stealing from mobile food vendors, and the guilty plea of a rental scammer who defrauded victims out of thousands of dollars.

Rising source material and shipping costs have put pressure on small business owners.

"We need all hands on deck to protect the New Yorkers who are bearing the brunt of the affordability crisis," Bragg said.

Bragg says while he has sympathy for small business owners who may be struggling to pay workers amid the affordability crisis, his prosecutions are about fairness.

"If we have an industry where five companies are following the law, and the sixth is not, then that's not fair to other companies," he told CBS News.