A West Hempstead restaurant owner previously accused of underpaying his workers is facing several new charges.

The Nassau County District Attorney’s Office says Mahmut Unver promised two employees ownership stakes of Anatolia Mediterranean & Grill and then fired them without returning the money. The incident left the victims scammed out of $50,000, according to officials.

Unver and Red Lions Food Corp. were arraigned Wednesday for grand larceny, scheme to defraud, failure to pay wages when under due labor law and willful failure to pay contributions.

Officials say the defendants pleaded not guilty and were released on their own recognizance. Unver faces up to 5 to 10 years in prison if convicted.

In 2024, he and another owner were charged with underpaying nine workers by over $60,000. They were both indicted on those charges in January.