The former owner and manager of the Royal India Cuisine restaurants in Lynnwood and Kirkland face multiple felony theft charges for failing to pay employees nearly $45,000 from 2021 to 2023.

Mohammad Rashid Bhatti, 74, and Aeisha Bhatti, 47, pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges at their arraignment on June 4. Mohammad Bhatti was the owner and Aeisha Bhatti was the manager of the two locations.

The criminal charges are based on an initial investigation by the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, which issued a news release about the case. The agency said it received 41 wage theft complaints from former employees by early 2023. After finding that the employer hadn’t paid workers what they were owed, L&I referred the case to the Washington State Attorney General in Febru

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