Ex-security company owner held on outstanding fines after company filed for bankruptcy

Published by BBNTEAM at August 23, 2023

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Posted: Wednesday, August 23, 2023. 9:57 pm CST.

By Aaron Humes: One of the former managers of Security Oriented Services (SOS), Paul Garcia, who was contracted to provide security to businesses and offices including the Magistrate’s Court, found himself before the court facing jail time for outstanding fines due.

Garcia owes six thousand dollars and was ordered in court to pay at least half that amount or be sent to the Central Prison. He was held until 4 p.m. this evening when he came up with the money.

Paul Garcia has pleaded guilty before the court twice for failure to pay Social Security contributions for his past employees and was fined each time. The contributions were due in 2020 and 2021, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when many businesses faced shutdowns.

And his troubles are not yet over, as he faces a civil suit brought by 17 former employees seeking outstanding wages, holiday pay, and work balance owed to them, including one employee with at least 11 years of service.

After a trial in May, the civil court Magistrate ordered the monies be paid by June 30, but when that payment was missed Garcia entered distress, where valuable items he owns will be sold off to make the payments. Previously Garcia had informed the court that SOS had filed for bankruptcy.

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