Press Release

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Christian Perez was sentenced to five years of probation after paying more than $28,000 in restitution to 30 former employees of cleaning companies he ran with his wife. The couple failed to pay wages owed to the workers. They are also banned from incorporating new companies in New York for five years.

District Attorney Katz said: “Wage theft cases are taken seriously by my Housing and Worker Protection Bureau because when someone steals a person’s paycheck, they are also stealing their dignity. This defendant and his wife have now been held responsible and the employees they stiffed will get restitution. They are also prohibited from incorporating in New York state for five years. If you have been a victim of wage theft, please contact my office at 718-286-6673. Thank you to our partners at the New York State Department of Labor for their assistance in this case.”

“New York State Commissioner of Labor Roberta Reardon said, “Stealing hard-earned money from working New Yorkers will not be tolerated in this state. Today’s sentencing sends a clear message that those who cheat New Yorkers will be held accountable. I applaud the Queens County District Attorney’s Office for their work in bringing criminals to justice. The New York State Department of Labor will continue to aggressively pursue bad actors and work to ensure every worker receives every cent they are owed.”

Perez, 40, pleaded guilty on February 26 to scheme to defraud in the first degree, grand larceny in the third degree and failure to pay wages in accordance with the labor law. He was sentenced today before Queens Supreme Court Justice Peter Vallone Jr. to five years’ probation in addition to making restitution of over $28,000. His wife, Ines Perez Miranda, 42, also pleaded guilty to failure to pay wages in accordance with the labor law and was sentenced to a conditional discharge on February 25. The defendants were originally from Queens.

Additionally, Cleaning Pass LLC and Cleaning Pass Set It and Forget It LLC — two companies controlled by Perez – were included in the plea agreement. As part of the plea, the defendants were ordered to make restitution of $28,277.91 which has been received. They also cannot incorporate a company in New York state for five years.

According to the charges, Perez filed articles of organization forming Cleaning Pass LLC on July 26, 2022, and Cleaning Pass Set It and Forget It LLC on July 23, 2023. Perez was the principal of both companies and managed all bank accounts, filed legal statements and oversaw client bookings and payroll matters. His wife served as a managerial agent for the two companies and supervised employees when they worked.

Perez placed advertisements seeking cleaners and hired individuals with the promise that the employees would be paid their wages within seven days. The employees were also advised they would be reimbursed for the cleaning supplies they purchased. The workers were required to download computer applications to document when they started and stopped working at different residential and business locations.

Once hired, Perez used the computer systems to track client bookings and employee work time. Employees also used the same systems to document their time. They were also required to ask permission before they could physically leave their work locations.

Perez and his wife used multiple strategies to deny employees their wages. In some cases, employees were directed to hold onto payroll checks until given express permission to cash them. The couple also gave employees checks issued with a future date or issued checks from an account with insufficient funds. On other occasions they failed to pay wages at all and demanded employees immediately leave their work locations without compensation. The defendants also failed to reimburse the employees for their cleaning supplies as promised.

Between September 6, 2023, and April 25, 2025, many of the victims sent multiple text and video messages to Perez and Perez Miranda requesting their wages and reimbursement for their expenses.

The investigation was conducted by Assistant District Attorney Christina Hanophy, Senior Deputy Chief in the Housing and Worker Protection Bureau, with the assistance of former Queens County District Attorney Detective Investigator Noman Ahmad, and QDA Detective Thomas Kaup and Investigative Accountant Vivian Tunnicliff of the District Attorney’s Frauds Bureau. The Queens County District Attorney’s Office thanks Senior Labor Standards Investigator Jorge Gordillo Alvarado of the New York State Department of Labor, Division of Labor Standards, under the supervision of Chief Labor Standards Investigator Frank King for their valuable assistance.

Senior Deputy Chief Hanophy prosecuted the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney William Jorgenson, Housing and Worker Protection Bureau Chief, and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Investigations Joseph T. Conley III.