Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce E. Dudley announced the arrest of local business owner Alberto “Al” Rodriguez, his wife Maria Rodriguez, and Byron Duran. Rodriguez and his wife own United Seal Coating, also known as United Sealcoating and Slurry Seal, Inc., United Paving, and Santa Barbara Paving. Duran is a long-time employee of the company.
The complaint filed by the District Attorney’s Office alleges 42 felony counts which include violations of the California Unemployment Insurance Code, Workers’ Compensation Premium Fraud, Fraudulent Denial of Workers’ Compensation Benefits, and Wage Theft. All three suspects are scheduled to appear for an arraignment in Department 8 of the Santa Barbara Superior Court on January 30, 2015.
The three suspects were arrested by detectives from the California Department of Insurance along with members of local law enforcement on January 14, 2015. The arrest of the three suspects was the result of an investigation by the California Department of Insurance Fraud Division, the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office, the Franchise Tax Board, the Employment Development Department, and the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement.