Form I-9 penalties typically grow by the violation, and Golden Employment Group Inc. is facing a huge penalty following allegations of hundreds of Form I-9 issues. Administrative Law Judge Ellen Thomas ruled that the temporary employment company is liable for more than 400 Form I-9 violations, according to a partial summary decision. Though E-Verify is often a sign of good faith, in her ruling, Thomas said that Golden Employment’s use of the background verification program was not enough to protect it from its responsibility to complete its Form I-9s properly. The Minnesota company was charged with a variety of violations, such as failure to present certain Form I-9s and not filling out others compliantly. In all, the company was charged with 465 infractions. While E-Verify can certainly indicate good faith, using the background verification program does not absolve employers of their other hiring responsibilities.

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