The head of a private security firm once charged with monitoring Oldtown Salinas was sentenced to five years’ probation and 120 days in jail, according to the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office. Anthony Vincent Perez, a.k.a. Tony Vincent, was arrested in April 2013 on nine charges related to business, insurance and tax fraud and evasion. In February, he pleaded no contest to two felonies and a misdemeanor in the case.

Local prosecutors said they were tipped off in December 2012 that Perez was paying his employees in cash and operating without workers’ compensation insurance. The investigation revealed Perez hadn’t registered with nor reported employee wages to the Employment Development Division since 2006, when he went into business, prosecutors said. Perez further misclassified his guards as independent contractors rather than employees as required by the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services and provisions regulating Private Patrol Operators, prosecutors said.

During the investigation, Perez obtained workers’ compensation insurance through the State Compensation Insurance Fund by making material misrepresentations to obtain a lower premium, prosecutors said.

DA Investigator Martin Sanchez, California Department of Insurance Detective Stuart Rind and Bureau of Security and Investigative Services Investigator Laura Jestes teamed up to investigate the case.

Perez was placed on five years’ felony probation. He was also ordered to serve 120 days in the Monterey County Jail, to complete 200 hours of community service and pay $18,000 fines.

Restitution will be determined May 15.