AG Ellison announced that his office has criminally charged Keith Schaefer, the owner of Evergreen Acres Dairy, LLC with one count of felony racketeering and four counts of wage theft in excess of $5,000. According to the criminal complaint, Evergreen employees reported that Schaefer and others working under his direction systematically deprived employees of their earned wages and subjected employees to severe abuse. Workers alleged that they did not receive full payment for the regular hours they worked nor for the overtime hours completed, and that their final paychecks were withheld upon their departure from the company. Furthermore, the lawsuit claims that when employees expressed concerns regarding their withheld wages or indicated a desire to leave Evergreen’s employment, they faced threats of physical violence and death, as well as intimidation involving law enforcement.