Restaurant Had Fake Priest Spy on Employees to Hear "Sins," Feds Say

One of the most famous aspects of catholicism is the Sacrament of Confession. The practice involves an individual confessing their sins in order to obtain forgiveness so they can reconcile with God and the Church. One California restaurant reportedly had a fake priest come into their establishment so that employees would confess their "sins" against their employer in hopes of forcing them to come clean. The U.S. Department of Labor calls it "among the most shameless" of corrupt actions employers have used against employees.

In November 2021, an employee testified against Eduardo Hernandez, a restaurant operator who ordered him to a confession with a supposed priest during work hours, Catholic News Agency reports.

The company charged, Che Garibaldi Inc., operates two Taqueria Garibaldi restaurants in Sacramento and one in Roseville. 

"I found the conversation to be strange and unlike normal confessions," Maria Parra, a server at Taqueria Garibaldi, said in a sworn affidavit attached to the Department of Labor's lawsuit, according to the Los Angeles Times.

"He asked if I ever got pulled over for speeding, if I drank alcohol, or if I had stolen anything," Parra said. "The priest mostly had work-related questions, which I thought was strange."

The faux priest encouraged employees to "get the sins out," asking them various questions. For example, they were asked if they had stolen from their employer, been late to work, or done anything to harm their employer.

Raquel Alfaro, an investigator with the Labor Department's Wage and Hour Division, explained that numerous employees felt Hernandez "brought the priest to intimidate them."

According to Marc Pilotin, the Department of Labor's regional attorney, "other employees reported that a manager falsely claimed that immigration issues would be raised by the department's investigation" if they didn't comply.

"This employer's despicable attempts to retaliate against employees were intended to silence workers, obstruct an investigation, and prevent the recovery of unpaid wages," he said. 

According to investigators, the restaurant also denied paying employees overtime and illegally paid managers from the employee tip pool. If they cooperated with investigators, the employers threatened to retaliate against them or report them to immigration.  

On May 8, the employer agreed to a consent judgment. Che Garibaldi LLC operator Eduardo Hernandez, Hector Manual Martinez Galindo, and Alejandro Rodriguez agreed to pay $70,000 in back wages and $70,000 in damages to 35 employees. They also must pay $5,000 in civil penalties to the Department of Labor.

"Our own investigation found no evidence of any connection between the Diocese of Sacramento and the alleged priest in this matter," Bryan J. Visitacion, director of media and communications for the Diocese of Sacramento, told CNA on Friday. "While we don't know who the person in question was, we are completely confident he was not a priest of the Diocese of Sacramento."