Based on what you wrote here, I can well understand and empathize with your situation.
I have been through similar situations over the years and while I have no idea of the laws in your state or your contract there or how they would even apply, the fact is a scapegoat was needed and in this case, you were it. Been there and done that.
You were in a no-winner. The second you reported problems, you literally hung a target on your back and it was only a matter of time before you got shown the door by whatever means. There are more than one occassion where I walked away from a situation that not only I knew I wasn't going to win, but to stay would've gotten me or my family hurt or killed.
As for me, I'm perfectly content to be "just one of the guys" and not anyone's supervisor or manager. Again, been there and done that. In the businesses I dealt with in that capacity, I learned a lot about just how dirty some people and businesses are, and how dangerous some can be.
I have not worked at a place yet that the "powers-that-be" using a generic term, did not know EXACTLY what was going on.

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The Last Standing Knight