kfoxtv.com
By Samantha Manning
Posted: 3:27 p.m. Monday, Dec. 26, 2011

LAS CRUCES, N.M. —

KFOX14 has spoken with even more employees who have come forward saying that a private contractor hired by the city of Las Cruces owes them for their manual labor.

Nineteen-year-old David Ochoa and his twin brother Daniel Ochoa said that Steven Ellison of Steven Ellison's Splish Splash of Las Cruces owes them $640 each for cleaning the city buses.

"I'm angry," David Ochoa said. "This is my money. I already worked for it so it's not fair."

The boys were hired to wash the buses six nights a week. They were supposed to be paid $320 every two weeks.

KFOX14 first broke the story Dec. 14, when 16-year-old Enrique Holguin and 17-year-old Ruben Santos said that Ellison owed them hundreds of dollars.

A woman, who did not want to identified, told KFOX14 that Ellison hired her husband who is an undocumented immigrant. She said that Ellison owed her husband nearly $2,000 but he was afraid to complain to the city because of his citizenship status.

"He would say, 'You know what, just 'cause I don't have papers right now I can still do it," she said. "He said, 'You know what, it's not fair."

She said Ellison also owes her over $900 for the time she spent working for him.

Ellison's former employees said that he's owes them over $4,000 altogether for their manual labor.

Ellison paid his workers in cash -- meaning he didn't pay any taxes on them.

KFOX14 tried asking Ellison about these allegations, but there was no answer at the address he listed in his contract application with the city on Missouri Avenue.

Ellison also changed his phone number since the last time KFOX14 contacted him.

Mayor Ken Miyagishima, meanwhile, said that he's requested an audit of Ellison's records.

http://www.kfoxtv.com/news/news/more...ctor-pa/nF9N8/