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Clerk Lived In Walk-In Cooler At Peabody Store, Says AG

PEABODY (CBS) – The owner of a Peabody convenience store was fined after it was discovered that a former clerk was working more than 100 hours a week and living in a broken walk-in cooler in lieu of being paid.

Attorney General Maura Healey announced that Peabody Market president Azhar Ali was fined $32,000 for failing to pay minimum wage and overtime to an employee.

The business was also fined another $6,400 in penalties and $5,000 for failure to keep accurate payroll records.

A former employee complained about working conditions at the market.

After an investigation, Healey's office found that from August 2012 to March 2014 the employee was given temporary housing inside a broken walk-in cooler.

In addition, the employee frequently worked more than 100 hours per week but was "sporadically compensated" for the work, officials said.

"This business repeatedly took advantage of an employee by failing to pay him the hard-earned money he was owed in exchange for providing temporary living accommodations in a broken walk-in cooler," Healey said. "Our office will continue to fight on behalf of our most vulnerable workers to make sure that they do not fall victim to unfair and exploitative employment practices."

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