NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) — U.S. Marshals arrested the owner of a landscaping company in Newport News after officials say he failed to pay his employees thousands of dollars.

According to the Department of Labor, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia initially ordered Merryman Grounds Maintenance Inc. and its owner and president, David Merryman, to pay $45,846 in back wages and liquidated damages to employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Officials say Merryman continued to violate the court’s orders and he was subsequently arrested. He remains in custody until he pays the back wages due and all required records.

“When employers like Merryman Grounds Maintenance Inc. and its owner and president, David Merryman, flout the authority of the U.S. Department of Labor to enforce the law, along with a court order requiring compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act, we will use every instrument in our toolbox to bring them to justice,” said Regional Solicitor Oscar L. Hampton III in Philadelphia.

If you have any information regarding Merryman Grounds Maintenance Inc. or are a former or current employee of the company, please contact the agency’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243) or the Wage and Hour Division’s Richmond District Office at (804) 771-2995. 

Learn more about the Wage and Hour Division here.