Another case of Theft By Maid

Here is another article about an "independent" house cleaner STEALING from those she was working for as well as commiting Identity theft! When will these wealthy people learn! Independent house cleaners as a general rule cannot be trusted. They have NOBODY watching them and checking on them and they WILL be tempted to steal and the WILL steal from you and then justify their actions!!

This keeps on happening with "independents" or individuals who work for themselves under their own company name such as "Rosa's House Cleaning Service", or "Sue's Maid Service"., etc.

Who keeps these people in check? Who is running a background check on these people?

Why would you be willing to open yourself to such a great risk?

A large number of these "independents" are "doing their own thing" because NO reputable company will hire them because of some serious legal problems that they will not tell you about .. why would YOU take this kind of chance with these individuals?

Instead of taking the risk with an individual, why not hire a reputable company like Mountain Maids or Colorado Springs House Cleaning to do the work for you. We do thorough background checks, are members of the BBB and have been doing this for over 19 years with no issues!

Here is the article we are refering to. We are reproducing this article here because we cannot be sure that the original link will survive on the web. The original article was published by Newsday.com on Feb 9, 2006. The link is at: http://www.newsday.com/news/printedition/newyork/nyc-nymaid094618779feb09,0,7591991.story?coll=nyc-nynews-print

You can also find a similar article on the CNN.com website at: http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/02/08/maid.guilty.ap/inde

NYC Print Edition

Maid to stars pleads guilty to theft

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

February 9, 2006

A housekeeper to the stars pleaded guilty in a Manhattan courtroom yesterday to stealing items from celebrity clients including Candice Bergen and Robert De Niro's wife.

   Under the terms of her plea bargain, Lucyna Turyk-Wawrynowicz, 35, will be sentenced to serve 1 to 3 years in prison later this month.

Prosecutors said stolen items included a $95,500 pair of earrings belonging to De Niro's wife, Grace Hightower.

   Turyk-Wawrynowicz also pleaded guilty to forgery and identity theft. Prosecutors said she used an employer's credit card to buy items at Barney's New York, and took a child's Social Security number to use while obtaining employment.

    Her sentencing was scheduled for Feb. 21.

   Turyk-Wawrynowicz, a citizen of Poland, was in the United States illegally and will be turned over to immigration officials for possible deportation once she is finished serving her sentence, Assistant District Attorney Ann Schwartz said.
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Our observations about this article:

In addition to the above issues that these movie stars have had with the theft from their homes, don't be surprised if the IRS and Social Security Administration and even the INS seek to prosecute them for hiring an illegal immigrant and/or not paying Social Security / FICA Taxes on this individual as well as not carrying workers comp insurance as is required by law!! Why would anybody want to open themselves to these kind of risks? Identity theft, Nanny / Maid Taxs not paid, Workers Compensation risks? Is it worth it? A reputable maid service takes care of all of this and you can stop and start service at your leisure ..for example when you go away on vacation. You have accountability if the job is not done to your satisfaction. Why deal with an individual who may start out doing a good job but eventually does less and less work but   still expects to get paid the same? There are no real savings when you hire an individual IF you do it right ..   pay the taxes, carry the insurance, etc, etc.

Another thought regarding hiring "independent" house cleaners or maids:

If the person you have working for you was a former employee of a company that you hired and then that employee approached you about working for you privately then BEWARE! The fact of the matter is all house cleaning companies have their employees sign an agreement that precludes them from soliciting the company's clients. YOU as the company's client are regarded as an asset of the company. The company spent money advertizing to get you as a client. Information about who the company's clients are is internal confidential company information and is regarded as the company's "trade secrets". An individual who comes to work for a company and then TAKES (or STEALS) this confidential information and uses it for their own benefit (ie. approaches you about doing work for you privately) commits THEFT OF COMPANY TRADE SECRETS ..and this is a criminal offense and can be prosecuted!

Although you may not think about this, if YOU hire this former employee who has approached you to work for you independently of the company then YOU have helped this individual commit a CRIME and this shows the character of the person you have hired. You can be sure that IF THEY HAVE NO PROBLEM STEALING FROM THE COMPANY THAT THEY PREVIOUSLY WORKED FOR, THEN THEY WILL HAVE NO PROBLEM STEALING FROM YOU?!! ...something to think about!

Another Case of Theft-by-Maid

Dishonest "independent" maid steals earings worth $95,500, and steals identity