Rhode Island § 28-14-17 - Payment of Wages

§ 28-14-17. Penalty for violations.

(a) Except as otherwise provided for in this chapter, any employer who or that violates or fails to comply with any of the provisions of this chapter shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction of the misdemeanor, the employer shall be punished by a fine of not less than four hundred dollars ($400) for each separate offense, or by imprisonment of up to one year, or by both fine and imprisonment. Each pay period of failure to pay wages due an employee at the time specified in this chapter shall constitute a separate and distinct civil violation, separate and apart from any criminal violation provided for in subsection (b) of this section.

(b) Any employer who knowingly and willfully violates § 28-14-2, § 28-14-4, or § 28-14-6 of this chapter shall be guilty of a felony if the actual value of the wages due to an employee exceeds one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500), and upon a plea or conviction thereof, shall be deemed to have committed a felony and shall be imprisoned by a term not exceeding three (3) years, or by a fine not exceeding five thousand dollars ($5,000), or both. In calculating the value of wages due to an employee, the total amount of all wages due the employee, in U.S. dollars, shall be included in the calculation.

(c) Any employer found guilty of violations of this chapter who or that does not pay wages and fines within thirty (30) days of a final decision and after notification by the department of labor and training, may have the employer’s business license revoked by the state of Rhode Island until the employer pays such wages and fines in full or enters into a payment agreement with which the employer stays in compliance.