Arrest warrant issued for businesswoman in labor case

SEATTLE (AP) _ An arrest warrant has been issued for a former Bellingham businesswoman in a case involving labor law violations.

The Bellingham Herald reports (http://bit.ly/2dbadaN ) that the U.S. District Court in Seattle issued the warrant against Zhao ``Jenny'' Zeng Hong. Hong operated the J&J Mongolian Grill and the Spa Therapy businesses in Bellis Fair a few years ago.

A U.S. Department of Labor release says Hong and her husband Huang ``Jackie'' Jie were found guilty of not paying minimum wage and overtime wages to employees and retaliating against workers during an investigation.

The 101 workers were awarded $1.3 million in back wages and damages.

The court ordered Hong and Jie to pay $2,500 a month toward the judgment.

Hong hasn't complied and was ordered to a debtor's exam on Wednesday. An arrest warrant was issued after she failed to appear.