Why this matters

Advocates and officials note that the state wage theft system faces serious issues. A backlog nearing 50,000 cases plus employers skilled at dodging payments leave many workers without full recovery.

Paul Serrato spent five months on 20-hour shifts six days weekly across several small senior care homes in a Poway cul-de-sac. He resided on site, handled bathing, diaper changes, meals, medication, laundry and cleaning per claims in Labor Commissioner proceedings. Without a private room, he slept on a couch and remained available nearly nonstop for residents.

He later submitted a wage theft complaint and secured an award of almost $170,000 covering back pay, penalties and interest from Wealthplus Management Group, LLC, the homes owner. The May 2025 decision came four years after his departure and two and a half years after filing. Serrato asked when payment would arrive and expressed continued hope it would come with more time.

Serrato joins at least seven other caregivers owed six-figure amounts after Labor Commissioner rulings on wage theft at Wealthplus and founder Xiaoqing Leslie Wang homes. Most are Filipino. Records indicate $2 million in total judgments against Wealthplus, the largest such amount in San Diego per county tracking.

Workers like Serrato have seen little payout. Some judgments exceed two years old while violations trace to 2019-2022. Their situation highlights a flawed enforcement process where thousands of annual claims face long delays before hearings.

A 2023 audit revealed nearly 50,000 backlogged cases. Delays and employer evasion tactics often prevent full recovery. Employers turn to bankruptcy or complex corporate structures to dodge obligations.

San Diego attorney Ian Seruelo, who represented several workers, noted judgments are obtainable but actual collection proves far harder. Wang once licensed and ran at least six county Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly including the Poway Solaris homes. She used multiple company names for operations.

County filings show Wealthplus registered Solaris as a fictitious name in 2022 with Wang signing as president. Solaris Capital Group Inc. served as landlord per court documents while Garden 36, another Wang entity, linked to the properties. VC Team Corp. handled rentals, payroll and administration yet filed bankruptcy, rendering its judgments uncollectable.

Public records list numerous other Wang companies. A lawsuit by four former Poway workers collectively owed about $1.5 million claims the structure shields her from liability for large-scale wage theft. The suit alleges a sham December 2022 sale of Wealthplus to Shanghai Jiyou Mesh Co., Ltd. shortly after claims were filed. State licensing shows no ownership transfer and the buyer appears unregistered in California.

Inspectors spoke with Wang in June 2025 about complaints at one Solaris site and records listed her as licensee. She returned earlier to manage after administrators quit. In August 2025 the Poway licensee shifted to Melrose Senior Care. Judgments targeted Wealthplus as the operator during violations.

County lawyers obtained a July 13 court order to collect $173,000 for one worker. Wang could not be reached despite visits to possible addresses in Rancho Santa Fe, Carlsbad and Escondido. One home sold recently while another is a care facility where staff said she does not reside. The Rancho Santa Fe property transferred in 2024 to a post office box holder also tied to another Wang company.

Her attorney denied lawsuit allegations and declined further comment due to the pending case. Serrato found the long wait frustrating yet grew emotional recalling bonds with residents who asked him not to leave.

Investment opportunity

Wang, 57, has operated in the RCFE sector over a decade. Her profile described Wealthplus as managing an investment fund for Chinese citizens relocating to the USA and developing San Diego RCFEs as opportunities for recurring revenue and property gains.

Wealthplus co-licensed a Vista facility that closed in April. Wang claimed a sale four years prior but lacked proof. She remained licensee for Rose Garden Capo in Escondido per April records. That month the district attorney charged Rolando Corpuz and Melissa Elsabel Sio Corpuz with trafficking and wage theft at facilities they ran. Prosecutors described round-the-clock work for flat daily pay without minimum wage or overtime. The couple pleaded not guilty. Wang was not charged.

New charges followed on Friday for six additional workers. The probe continues with assessment of further criminal proof required. Three years ago Wang sought to expand an Escondido site to 45 beds but the city council rejected it. The property operates as Mariposa Manor with Wealthplus as licensee.

Besides the worker lawsuit the county office pursues cases for Serrato and two others owed $570,000 total. Under a 2021 program workers can assign judgments to the county for up to $3,000 upfront while lawyers pursue full collection. Recoveries replenish the fund and add interest. The county has secured some payments and $60,000 for the program though collection remains slow against evasive parties.

Last August a judge issued a warrant for Wang after she missed a debtor exam. She appeared in December. Serrato immigrated from the Philippines at 19, fished commercially in Alaska for 25 years then moved to California in 2018 for restaurant and housekeeping work. In 2020 a co-worker led him to the Solaris role which offered on-site living to save costs despite the $13 hourly rate becoming exhausting.

‘I take care of everyone’

The first-time caregiver learned on the job and felt duty toward elderly patients. He observed owners prioritizing profits over fair pay and noted many Filipino workers face similar exploitation in nursing homes.