San Diego

Two executives of East County construction firms pleaded guilty Monday to submitting false statements regarding underpayment to their workers on federally funded projects. Glenn Thomas, president of Thomas Electric of El Cajon, pleaded guilty to making a false report to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. U.S. District Judge Leland Nielsen set sentencing for April 1 for Thomas, who could be ordered to repay 10 workers the $21,411 they were underpaid. Ramon Aguilar, identified by Assistant U.S. Atty. Eve Bermingham as a partner in Hacienda Landscape of Lemon Grove, pleaded guilty to making false statements to the U.S. Department of Labor. Aguilar underpaid 86 workers $137,577 for work they did on Interstate 8 in the East County. He also will be sentenced in April. The firms were among nine companies charged last week with not paying their workers the prevailing wages of the local community--a requirement of the Davis-Bacon Act for federally funded projects. A third executive, William Baker of Baker Electrician of San Diego pleaded guilty Monday to making false statements in the underpayment of $18,760 to three employees.