Pinay Accountant Seeking $100K Back Wages

By Don Tagala, ABS-CBN North America Bureau
Jan. 20, 2011

WOODSIDE, NY – A Filipina who worked as an accounting consultant to a Filipino-owned staffing agency in New York is suing her employer.

Jacqueline Aguirre claims she was subjected to forced labor, human trafficking and falsely promised a green card.

The Filipino-American Foundation for Immigration and Employment Advocacy is helping Aguirre sue Best Care Agency, Inc. and its owners Dorothy de Castro and Perlita Jordan in a Brooklyn Federal Court last which was filed on December 20.

The 36- year- old Aguirre said, “Because of the two of you – De Castro and Jordan – I lost my legal status, I tried to fix everything, I paid for my own lawyer, thank God I was able to pay for the fees involved”

Aguirre came to the U.S. on a visitor’s visa in 2000. In 2001, Aguirre took an accountant position at a staffing company called Best Care Agency, Inc. in Floral Park, New York.

Aguirre said, she agreed to work for the agency because the owners allegedly promised to sponsor her green card after she paid them $3,000 as an initial “processing fee” among other immigration fees.

She got her work visa in April 2001. But when the company filed an immigrant petition for her in 2009, Court records showed that Best Care Agency was not financially capable to sponsor her green card application.

Civil Right lawyer, Attorney Felix Vinluan said, “The owners of the agency knew that they didn’t have the financial capability but they did misrepresent yung supposed financial capabilility nila kay Ms Jacqueline Aguirre para lang makapagtrabaho si Miss Aguirre sa Kanila who actually became a one woman office staffing agency for them.”

Court documents showed, from 2001 to 2009 Aguirre was only paid from $8 to $12 an hour instead of the promised rate of $19 to $22 per hour as written and agreed in her labor condition application.

Aguirre claims that aside from her original job as an accounting consultant she was required to perform other responsibilities such as staffing and other office work not related to accounting.

Aguirre said, the owners threatened her with withdrawing their sponsorship if she did not comply.

After Best Care Agency’s petition was denied, Aguirre said, her boss Perlita Jordan allegedly offered Aguirre to marry Jordan’s brother to save her from getting deported, but only if she promised to pay her a big sum of money for the arranged marriage.

Aguirre said, “When I spoke to Perlita Jordan, she said, Jackie you should take care of my brother’s payment for your marriage, I said, I’m marrying an American Citizen who I’m not in love with, this is just going to worsen my situation, this is not the solution to my problem.”

Today, Aguirre is not only out of a job, she could also be deported.
Aguirre is seeking damages for human trafficking and $100,000 in back wages.

Balitang America has repeatedly called Best Care Agency to get their response to Aguirre’s allegations, but owners Dorothy de Castro and Perlita Jordan have not yet responded.

balitangamerica.tv