Story by Ethan
On June 4th, 2025, the arrest of Hunter Segree, Isayed Rojas, and Joshua Howard, ages 28, 30, and 30, was announced by Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. Hunter Segree, Isayed Rojas, and Joshua Howard were charged with first-degree Offering a False Instrument for Filing, first-degree Scheme to Defraud, first-degree Falsifying Business Records, second-degree Reckless Endangerment, second, third and fourth-degree Conspiracy, and Petite Larceny. The arrest and charges against Hunter Segree, Isayed Rojas, and Joshua Howard were a result of an investigation handled by KCDA Intelligence Analyst Yacelys Corona, Financial Analyst Veronica Beltran, and KCDA Detective Investigators.
According to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, a stop work order was issued by the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board against Hothead Grabba LLC. for failure to pay out insurance compensation for their employees. Hothead Grabba LLC. is a company that sells ground up tobacco meant to be added to marijuana called “grabba”, and previously owned a factory located at 234 Chestnut Street where the tobacco leaves were processed. After the factory shutdown on March 26th, 2024, Hothead Grabba LLC. moved to another location in Queens, New York, while continuing to violate the minimum wage law by continuing to pay its employees by the pound. The company continued to profit by selling their product to local retailers and convenience stores. Employees of Hothead Grabba LLC. claimed that they’ve worked 12 hour days either every day of the week or six out of the seven days. The work consisted of harvesting and cleaning tobacco leaves and would be paid based on how much product they produced instead of receiving an hourly wage. Allegedly the employees were paid $7 a pound for processing 15 pounds of product in a day, and workers wouldn’t be able to meet the amount of product made necessary to come close to the rate of minimum wage in New York. Additionally Hothead Grabba LLC. reportedly failed to pay employees in a timely manner, taking weeks to give workers their payments. Aside from wage and payment issues alleged against the company, workers reported that they were given no breaks during work hours and they had to endure rooms with no ventilation, window, or protective gear. The factory in Queens, New York, had only one singular exit with no signage indicating the direction or location of the exit in case of any emergency. From October 31st, 2022, to July 15th, 2024, Hothead Grabba LLC. allegedly withheld approximately $310,000 from a total of 25 employees.
The Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office stated that the charges against Hunter Segree, Isayed Rojas, and Joshua Howard are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
