243K

A former restaurant owner in Jefferson Park has been accused by his one-time landlord of defrauding the federal government out of $243,000 in pandemic aid. Sarto’s was a highly regarded Italian restaurant at 2900 W. 25th Ave. from 2014 until its closure in October 2020. It was founded by Taylor Swallow, who had been a real estate consultant and lender before leaving the corporate world and opening the restaurant. Federal records show that in March 2021, five months after it closed, Sarto’s received a $243,297 loan through…

Federal officials said they recovered $242,579 in back wages covering 72 workers at a Westminster restaurant after investigators determined the employer didn’t pay the legally required minimum wage, illegally kept employees’ tips and denied overtime. The U.S. Department of Labor said Monday that Lychen Inc., operating as East Moon Asian Bistro, violated the federal Fair Labor Standards Act when it failed to pay overtime to employees who worked more than 40 hours in a work week. The business also didn’t keep accurate…