SANTA ANA – A 55-year-old man made his initial appearance in court Wednesday on charges of engaging in a conspiracy with a business partner to steal wages from their employees for private and public works construction projects.

Arturo Leon was charged May 29 with two counts of conspiracy, a count of making a false statement to discourage an injured worker from claiming benefits, a count of grand theft of wages, and four counts of extortion, all felonies. His arraignment Wednesday was rescheduled for Thursday in the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana.

Business partner Pardip Singh Sandhu was listed as a fugitive in court records and has not yet appeared in court.

An Orange County District Attorney investigator said in court papers that the two “were involved in a criminal conspiracy to

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