Court records say Evergreen employees reported Schaefer, and others working under his direction, had systematically deprived employees of their earned wages by not paying them for the full amount of regular hours they worked, not paying them for overtime hours they worked, and withholding final paychecks when they left Evergreen’s employment. They allegedly subjected employees to abuse, including threats to report them to law enforcement, and threats of physical violence and death, when they raised concerns about wages Schaefer wrongly withheld for physical injuries they suffered at work, or when they expressed a desire to leave Evergreen’s employment. The complaint says Schaefer regularly participated in the day-to-day operations of Evergreen, including hiring, firing, scheduling, and payroll management and handling disputes regarding payment of wages.

Ellison’s office charged Schaefer upon a referral from Stearns County Attorney Janelle Kendall.

Attorney General Ellison previously sued Evergreen Acres and Keith Schaefer under civil law for failure to pay wages and overtime, failure to keep records and falsifying records, and violations of state habitability laws.