Chef Shown Gruesome Photo Files Lawsuit

A chef has filed a lawsuit against a New York City restaurant, claiming that when he asked for W-2 forms to report his taxes, his employer showed him a gruesome photo of a person whose fingers had been chopped off as a warning for him to keep quiet.

The lawsuit, filed by Alfred Lolange, who had been hired as executive chef at Z-Two Diner & Lounge in Staten Island, is seeking an unspecified amount in damages for lost wages.

Lolange claims that he began working for Z-Two in February 2012 for an agreed-upon salary of $2,500 per week. When he received his first paycheck, however, he had only received $2000. When he inquired about the $500 he was owed, the restaurant’s owner, Steve Osman, told him it was withheld for tax purposes.

When tax season began, Lolange requested a copy of his employment W-2 form, which an employer is required by law to provide each employee.

Instead, Lolange claims that Osman showed him a photo of a person whose fingers had been cut off. Lolange alleges that the picture was a warning to keep quiet about the fact that Osman was pocketing the money he claimed he was taking out of employees’ checks for taxes.