(KRON) — Two males who function a hashish farm in Pescadero are accused of failing to pay greater than $200,000 in wages to farm employees who lived in rat-infested greenhouses.
The San Mateo County District Lawyer’s Workplace mentioned Aaron Esquer Corrales, 41, of Rohnert Park, and Roberto Perez-Flores, 41, of Daly Metropolis, didn’t pay wages to 30 victims who labored on the farm between 2024-2025.
Wages owed individually to victims vary from $300 to almost $30,000, prosecutors mentioned.
Corrales is the CEO of Miles Forward Ventures. Flores and Corrales “had workers commuting from as far as Salinas and sleeping in tents inside rat-infested greenhouses with little to nothing more than a port-a-potty and a small cooking stove. Despite the conditions and lack of payment, victims continued working off empty promises from defendants of future work and payment,” the DA’s workplace wrote.
Motive behind Half Moon Bay farms mass taking pictures launched
Prosecutors charged the duo with 16 felony counts.
Throughout his arraignment on Wednesday, Flores pleaded not responsible to all fees within the Corridor of Justice. Over objections from prosecutors, Choose Jonathan Karesh launched Flores from custody on supervised personal recognizance with guarantees to seem for his subsequent courtroom date in March.
Corrales was arrested in Marin County Wednesday. He can be transported from a Marin County jail to a San Mateo County jail to face fees.
Investigators with the DA’s workplace and sheriff’s workplace served a search warrant on the farm on Wednesday morning in connection to the wage theft case.
“The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office Coastside Patrol Bureau was on scene to ensure the safety of all involved,” the sheriff’s workplace wrote.
Native residents puzzled if the search was associated to federal immigration enforcement.
San Mateo County launches job drive to enhance residing situations for farmworkers
“We understand a large law enforcement presence may cause concerns, and we want to provide reassurance to the community. No immigration enforcement agency was involved in any way, nor was anyone stopped, detained, or questioned about their immigration status,” the sheriff’s workplace wrote.
