New allegations surface against two San Diego men accused of not paying workers or sales tax in connection with a College Grove restaurant.
Former employees of the defendants claim they also were not paid while working for the men at a different business in Pacific Beach.
David Dadon, 61, and his son Barry Dadon, 27, owned the State Street Grill.
The restaurant is now closed and its former owners face 21 felony counts, including workers’ compensation premium fraud and sales tax evasion.
David Dadon was arraigned Tuesday and pleaded not guilty. He is being held on $500,000 bail. Barry Dadon pleaded not guilty last week and is currently free on bail.
When James Turner, Jr. and David Vanbilliard saw NBC 7 San Diego’s report on the Dadons, they decided to speak out about what they say they experienced with the business owners.
“The way they were running things this year just didn't add up,” Vanbilliard said.
The two men said they worked for the Dadons as employees of PB Christmas Trees. They say during the first season of working things were fine but this year they didn't get paid what they should.
“There were tips that I never got paid,” Vanbilliard said. “I was told that I wasn't on the books but they wanted my Social Security number and was written checks off the company account.
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After NBC 7 San Diego’s report, Turner hopes the Dadons will be held responsible for what they call preying upon those who needed to work
“I find out that he's done this to more than one person. So it's not just me. I thought maybe it was just a random case but this guy is scandalous,” Turner said.
As for the State Street Grill allegations, prosecutors claim the Dadons found their employees on Craigslist. They asked applicants to work a “training period” seven days without pay. If they took the job, the DA said they were paid fewer than $5 an hour.
The case involves more than 20 former servers and cooks, many of them students. The District Attorney’s Office estimates the loss at more than $350,000. There could be as many as 50 additional victims.
