Labor and Industry hours claimed

i am an employer of a small home repair company in wa state
i had an employee that, i have fired, turn in a claim with the department of labor and industries for 166 unpaid hrs.
i could only show where he hadn't been paid for 24, inwhich i did pay him for.
can i as a employer file criminal and or civil charges against him for falsifying claimed hours?

So, you "apparently" only owed him for 24 hours when all is said and done? Pay it and walk away. The amount is not all that much to fight about. I know it "gets your goat," but you would spend a whole lot more pursuing it and it would look like "retaliation."

Wage & Hour always presumes that the employee is right. It is up to the employer to prove otherwise.

In the future, keep accurate timesheet/payroll records and keep them for at least 3 years. Your best bet is to institute a timesheet-type of system wherein the employee signs off on his hours weekly or daily.

thanks for your quick reply
I did go ahead and pay the guy for the 24 hrs
but now can i file charges against him for attempting
to claim more than he deserves????
would this be a criminal or a civil crime???
thanks dave