A woman calls the Troubleshooters for help getting paid.
She says worked for a man running a non-profit organization, for almost a month, but still hasn’t received a penny.
We’ve found out this man had been evicted from his place of business before he even hired the woman.
Plus, he is accused of running another business at the same address, illegally.
It wasn’t easy for Lisa Fonseca to tell us her story.
But she hasn’t been paid by the man who hired her in December last year.
Now, she’s unemployed, and is not receiving unemployment benefits.
So she’s called the Troubleshooters for help.
She says the man she identified as Daniel Esparza, hired her on December 3rd to do general office work for his non-profit business she called All-4-One.
He would pay her $13.00 an hour. 40 hours a week. And she would be paid every Friday.
Esparza ran his business out of 4100 Up River Road.
But Fonseca says her last day of work was Christmas Eve December 24th.
“Were you fired or did you quit ?” the Troubleshoters asked. “I didn’t come in. I just quit because I wasn’t getting my money. I wasn’t gonna stay there another day.”
On December 27th she texted Esparza, asking for her money. “I just want you to be honest with me,” she wrote. “I have rent and bills to pay. He said, I understand Lisa. I’m working on fixing the problem,” Esparza texted back.
Fonseca estimates Esparza owes her between $1300.00 and $1500.00.
The Troubleshooters have confirmed with Judge Joe Benavides’ court that Esparza was evicted from the property on Up River Road November 14th last year.
The owner of the property, Zeba LLC, told us Esparza owes them more than $5000.00.
So how and why did Esparza hire Fonseca to work here in the first place ?
And there’s more. Fonseca and others, and the property owner confirmed to the Troubleshooters, that Esparza was renting the property out for events.
Booking dates and taking deposits.
The property owner says that’s illegal.
Fonseca told us “he literally had double-booked people. And those people want their money back. And he’s just been stringing them along.”
2 weeks ago, 4 people filed a case against Esparza in Small Claims Court, claiming he owes them nearly $2200.00.
Fonseca says she’s witnessed Esparza help the less fortunate.
He began a non-profit called ‘No Child Goes Hungry.’
In April last year he was accused of writing a series of hot checks at a local convenience store.
We called Esparza, but couldn’t leave a message.
We’ve also emailed him.
The Troubleshooters also knocked on 3 different doors at the property on Up River Road around noon today.
No answer.
