Attorney General Ellison criminally charges Evergreen Acres Dairy owner with exploiting workers
Keith Schaefer charged with four counts of wage theft, one count of felony racketeering for systematically depriving workers of wages and subjecting them to abuse
February 4, 2025 (SAINT PAUL) – Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced today that his office has criminally charged Keith Schaefer in Stearns County District Court with one count of felony racketeering and four counts of wage theft in excess of $5,000. Schaefer owns and operates Evergreen Acres Dairy, LLC.
According to the detailed criminal complaint, Evergreen employees reported that Schaefer and others working under his direction:
- systematically deprived employees of their earned wages, including by not paying them for the full amount of regular hours they worked, not paying them for overtime hours they worked, and withholding final paychecks when they left Evergreen’s employment; and
- subjected employees to abuse, including threats to report them to law enforcement, and threats of physical violence and death, when they raised concerns about wages Schaefer wrongly withheld or physical injuries they suffered at work, or when they expressed a desire to leave Evergreen’s employment.
As outlined in the complaint, Schaefer regularly participated in the day-to-day operations of Evergreen, including hiring, firing, scheduling, and payroll management, including handling disputes regarding payment of wages.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Attorney General Ellison’s office charged Schaefer upon a referral from Stearns County Attorney Janelle Kendall under Minnesota Statutes Sec. 8.01, which provides, “Upon request of the county attorney, the attorney general shall appear in court in such criminal cases as the attorney general deems proper.”
Attorney General Ellison previously sued Evergreen Acres and Keith Schaefer under civil law for failure to pay wages and overtime, failure to keep records and falsifying records, and violations of state habitability laws.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigated this criminal matter.