The defendant is also accused of failing to pay employees minimum wage and required overtime and providing mandatory rest and meal breaks
September 5, 2026 – LOS ANGELES, CA – A 59-year-old Hacienda Heights woman has been charged with six 
felony counts for allegedly stealing more than $121,000 in wages from employees at an unlicensed residential care facility in Diamond Bar and failing to pay required employment taxes.
“Going into Labor Day, we should remember that working people deserve to know that their government has their backs,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said. “People who show up to work every day, work hard for a living and earn an honest paycheck should not have to fight to get the wages they are legally owed. Employers who deliberately exploit their workers and cheat the state out of taxes will be held accountable. If you employ people, you have an obligation to pay them fairly, follow the law and treat them with respect. If you don’t, then significant consequences will befall you.”
Nora Elia Corrales (59), who owned the property and allegedly oversaw the unlicensed residential facility's day-to-day operations, is charged with four felony counts of wage theft and two felony counts of tax fraud. Charges include an allegation under Penal Code section 186.11 that the alleged loss exceeds $100,000. The allegation allows prosecutors to seek the seizure and freezing of assets connected to the alleged financial crimes.
Case 26PSCF00760 was filed for warrant on September 1. Corrales was arrested and remains in custody. Her arraignment will be scheduled at a later date. Prosecutors have requested bail be set at $175,000.
Between October 27, 2022, and July 8, 2023, Corrales allegedly failed to pay employees minimum wage and required overtime and failed to provide mandatory rest and meal breaks. The total economic loss to employees is estimated at $121,027.50.
Corrales is also accused of failing to pay employment taxes to the California Employment Development Department and filing a fraudulent tax report with the intent to evade those taxes.
If convicted as charged, Corrales faces up to seven years, four months in state prison.
“Wage theft is not a victimless offense,” California Labor Commissioner Lilia Garcia-Brower said. “Caregivers perform essential work and must be properly paid for their labor. My office worked closely with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office on this case. This case demonstrates the strength of our partnership and our shared commitment to protecting workers and holding employers accountable.”
The case is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Eva Jabber Stodel of the Consumer Protection Division and investigated by the California Department of Industrial Relations, Labor Commissioner’s Office, Criminal Investigations Unit; the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office Bureau of Investigation and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Any potential wage theft victims of Nora Corrales in particular or wage theft victims more generally should contact the Department of Industrial Relations at 818-901-5305.
The charges in this case are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Source: Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office
