“I found the conversation to be strange and unlike normal confessions,” Maria Parra, a server at Taqueria Garibaldi, said in a sworn affidavit attached to the Department of Labor’s lawsuit against her employer.
A California restaurant had an individual impersonate a priest to encourage employees to confess their “sins” against their employer, but the man has no links with the Catholic Diocese of Sacramento, a diocese spokesman said.
“Our own investigation found no evidence of any connection between the Diocese of Sacramento and the alleged priest in this matter,” Bryan J. Visitacion, director of media and communications for the Diocese of Sacramento, told CNA on Friday. “While we don’t know who the person in question was, we are completely confident he was not a priest of the Diocese of Sacramento.”
The U.S. Department of Labor on June 12 said the use of the supposed priest was “among the most shameless” of corrupt actions employers have used against employees.
The situation concerns the company Che Garibaldi Inc., which operates two Taqueria Garibaldi restaurants in Sacramento and one in Roseville. The company and its owners and operators have agreed to a federal settlement after allegations of various labor law violations.
During the Department of Labor’s litigation in federal court, an employee testified that in November 2021 restaurant operator Eduardo Hernandez offered a person identified as a priest to hear confessions during work hours.
“I found the conversation to be strange and unlike normal confessions,” Maria Parra, a server at Taqueria Garibaldi, said in a sworn affidavit attached to the Department of Labor’s lawsuit against her employer, the Los Angeles Times reported.
“He asked if I ever got pulled over for speeding, if I drank alcohol, or if I had stolen anything,” Parra said. “The priest mostly had work-related questions, which I thought was strange.”
According to the employee, the supposed priest urged employees to “get the sins out.” He asked them if they had stolen from their employer, been late for work, or done anything to harm their employer. The purported priest also asked if they had bad intentions toward their employer, the Department of Labor said.
