Federal Government Sues Man Who Allegedly Paid Ex-Employee With 91,000 Oily Pennies

The owner of a Georgia auto repair shop has been accused of paying an ex-employee’s paycheck using 91,000 pennies, the Washington Post reports.

The U.S. Labor Department filed a complaint against the owner, Miles Walker, on Dec. 30, accusing him of retaliation, as well as violating other labor laws, per the Post. Walker refused to give his employee, Andreas Flaten, his last paycheck of $915 after he put in his two-week notice. In January 2021, Flaten contacted the Wage and House division at the Labor Department to report the situation.

That’s when the agency reached out to Walker directly, who said he wouldn’t pay Flaten. According to court documents, Walker then concocted the idea to pay Flaten in pennies. Documents show he said, “How can you make this guy realize what a disgusting example of a human being he is … [Y]ou know what? I’ve got plenty of pennies; I’ll use them.”

In March, Walker dumped 500 pounds of oily pennies on Flaten’s driveway, as well as a pay stub and an envelope that had an expletive written on it. It took Flaten and his girlfriend hours to move the pennies and then clean the driveway since the coins were covered in oil. 

Walker boasted about the incident on his auto shop’s website. “What started out as a gotcha to a subpar ex-employee, sure got a lot of press,” Walker wrote. “Know that no one would go to the trouble we did to make a point without [sic] being motivated.” The statement was later removed.

Moreover, the Labor Department has also accused Walker of declining to give his employees overtime and failing to keep his pay and work records up to date. The government is suing Walker for unpaid wages, damages, and violations in the amount of $36,971, per KTLA.

“I’m over it, but I’m definitely happy to see that justice is being served,” Flaten told the Post.