Steve Asmussen Stables to pay $205G in back wages, penalties after federal labor probe

Steve Asmussen Stables, a leading operator of training stables for thoroughbred racehorses, has agreed to pay   temporary workers a total of $129,776  to resolve violations of the federal H-2B worker program, plus penalties, the U.S. Labor Department announced Friday.

Following an investigation of its Elmont facility by the Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division on Long Island, the horse training business — registered as KDE Equine LLC of Texas — was found to have “violated numerous commitments” made in its H-2B visa applications to employ workers in New York between 2016 and 2019.

The H-2B visa program allows U.S. employers to hire temporary workers from other countries to perform nonagricultural labor or services in the  United States for limited periods

Officials with the company could not be reached for comment.

Steven M. Asmussen is a top North American horse racing trainer. Since 2007, Asmussen's horses have  won the Breeders' Cup Classic, Preakness Stakes, Belmont Stakes, Travers Stakes and Dubai World Cup.

Violations found by Long Island investigators include failing to pay workers for costs incurred from travel to and from the  United States, employing workers outside of New York contrary to statements made to the government, overstating the number of H-2B workers needed, and seeking kickbacks from workers to cover Asmussen Stables’ attorney fees.

In addition to back wages, the company was ordered to pay $75,223 in civil penalties for the violations.

“Employers like Steve Asmussen Stables who employ H-2B workers must comply with the law or face sanctions, including fines and potentially being barred from the program,” David An, district director of the Wage and Hour Division in Westbury, said in a statement.

On top of back pay and fines, the company must also adhere to enhanced compliance measures, including the hiring of an independent monitor by KDE Equine to conduct regular audits of the trainer’s H-2B processes. Workers must also be provided with updated training in languages they understand.

The recent settlement marks the fourth time in recent years that Steve Asmussen Stables has been in ordered by the Labor Department to pay workers back wages following a Wage and Hour Division investigation.

Most recently, following a Labor Department investigation and subsequent litigation, the business was ordered in 2021 to pay a total of $563,000  in back wages and damages to 170 employees, the federal agency said.

That investigation found that Steve Asmussen Stables underpaid groomers and hot walkers — workers who warm up horses before races or workouts — at its Belmont and Saratoga Springs stables and nearby racetracks.