Owner charged with wage theft, tax evasion and embezzlement

“The Department of Industrial Relations offers hope for California workers who have been financially taken advantage of by employers.  We commend the work of DIR investigators and staff to support hard-working Californians who may be cheated of money they earned, or should have earned.”

CSLEA President Alan Barcelona

OAKLAND —On January 21, 2026, The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office announced that Victor Dawson, 52, has been charged with multiple felonies, including wage theft, tax evasion, and embezzlement from teachers and parents of students of New Horizons (K-8) School in Newark and Mission Hills Middle School in Castro Valley. Dawson was the principal of both schools and the owner of New Horizons.

 Dawson is charged with two counts of felony wage theft, two counts of felony tax evasion, one count of misdemeanor tax evasion, and one count of felony embezzlement.

The criminal complaint alleges that in 2024, Dawson committed wage theft against 47 teachers and other staff members. The complaint further alleges that Dawson embezzled retirement contributions from six teachers, deducting money for the victims’ retirement savings from their paychecks and allegedly using those deductions for his own benefit. Finally, the complaint alleges that Dawson evaded paying state taxes and payroll taxes by failing to file the necessary tax returns, while allegedly deducting payroll taxes from the teachers’ paychecks and using those deductions for his own benefit.

“Teachers and school staff are often underpaid for the vital work they do. Stealing from their paychecks or retirement accounts is illegal and a profound betrayal of trust that harms workers and destabilizes schools, putting students at risk,” said California Labor Commissioner Lilia Garcia-Bower. “After teachers came forward with wage theft complaints, my office conducted a thorough investigation and referred the case for criminal prosecution. We are committed to robust enforcement of our labor laws and will continue to aggressively investigate wage theft, protect workers who speak up, and work closely with our law enforcement partners to hold employers fully accountable.”

A civil judgment against Dawson includes wages owed to employees, labor law penalties, and civil penalties totaling $687,986.42.

 Dawson was arraigned on January 20, 2026.