Last week, a Hennepin County judge sentenced an employer following a first-of-its-kind criminal conviction for wage theft in Minnesota.

Since its enactment in 2019, Minnesota’s Wage Theft Prevention Act has imposed stringent penalties on employers who unlawfully withhold wages from employees. Under the Act, employers may face felony charges if they commit wage theft with intent to defraud their employees in an amount greater than $1,000.