ProPublica and Documented identified 25 employers that, despite histories of wage theft, have received contracts worth more than a collective $500 million from city and state agencies since 2018.

Fedcap has received dozens of contracts worth more than $110 million from 10 New York City and state agencies since 2018. That’s despite the fact that the company has committed millions of dollars in wage theft against hundreds of its workers in recent years. Get Our Top Investigations

Under New York City and state procurement laws, contracting agencies are required to check vendors’ backgrounds, including for labor law violations, and award contracts only to those deemed “responsible.”

But who is a “responsible vendor” is vaguely defined. And New York state’s contracting rules are more lenient than some other places when it comes to approving wage theft violators for contracts. Advocates and officials in those places say tighter rules have been an effective deterrent against wage theft.