Among the presenters were labor regulators and attorneys who took questions from the crowd. Simpson then lashed out at Reveal for investigating wage theft in the industry. Costa, who declined to be interviewed for this story, is a rare public face of a burgeoning multibillion-dollar elder care industry that is enabling operators to become wealthy by treating workers as indentured servants. But even after that meeting, records show, Costa listed herself as a managing member of Clear View Retirement Group. Then George Kutnerian, senior vice president of public policy and legislation for the 6Beds group, took the stage as one of the last speakers. stephanie costa: the fresno bee reports california woman who appeared in episode of reality t.v. Jennifer Gollan can be reached at jgollan@revealnews.org. In December 2014, following an appeal, the amount owed for the labor violations was reduced to $665,000. She worried she would be fired if she complained. Workers are left feeling desperate and trapped. "But we were helpless. Sign in. "It's hard to stay in the market when you're competing with other homes that have lower rates. For example, owners do not need to hire two caregivers when they could get away with one, Kutnerian said. The workers said they risked being fired if they left the facilities and had no off-duty rest breaks during the day. Costa posted bail and was released. They routinely are harassed and fired if they report abysmal pay or overtime violations, according to interviews and court documents. "We didn't save anything. A fourth defendant, Gerlen Gamos, pleaded guilty to two felony charges, including wage theft, and is awaiting sentencing. She said she was frightened he would fire her if she refused. "Coming from our background, we thought, '$3,500 a month? But half of that fortune was threatened when she and her company initially were cited for about $1.6 million for labor violations, including wage theft - not paying 11 employees for working much of 24 hours a day, six days a week. Deza rarely took a day off, as she would need to pay her substitute. Hayes assured residents that they would remain the same. But instead of letting her deposit the checks, Rommel Publico demanded the money back, claiming it was his, Deza said in an interview. "Ask if you're allowed to complain.". About 35 percent of them were in California. ''My net worth is $3 to $4 million, probably.". A long night still lay ahead; some wandering dementia residents needed help back to bed, and others had to be shifted every two hours. Two caregivers recounted having miscarriages after their bosses refused to allow them time off or to stop lifting heavy residents. Precilla San Miguel, an owner of San Miguel Homes for the Elderly, which operates three facilities in Union City, near Silicon Valley, kept timesheets that showed caregivers worked eight hours a day, even though their employment manual required them to be available 24 hours per day, seven days a week to seniors. ''My net worth is $3 to $4 million, probably. Sign in to like videos, comment, and subscribe. Residential senior care homes are treating workers as indentured servants – and profiting handsomely. Costa and her attorneys are now appealing the labor law violations she's accused of. Attorneys for Joshua and Carlina Gamos said no workers were forced to work at the facilities. FRESNO, Calif. Stephanie Costa is challenging the state labor commissioner, fighting to keep the more than one million dollars in fines she's been ordered to pay. Both a Doctor and a Lawyer, Bradley dated one of the millionairesses this season (Stephanie Costa), and has now decided to take the plunge himself. Patti's second client is an attractive, young millionaire, Stephanie Costa, who has a squeaky voice and an unlikely career as a retirement-home magnate. "I thought, 'This is worse,' so I quit," Lim said. His medical bills are crushing. Stephanie Costa's attorneys declined to comment, but in cross examination, have poked holes in some of the caregivers testimony, even identifying confusion in their roles and duties. Data reporter Melissa Lewis contributed to this story. This is a great line! I've never been like, 'I'm the boss. The assisted living provider who appeared on an episode of "Millionaire Matchmaker" is accused of labor law violations. ''My net worth is $3 to $4 million, probably." She just turned 30 and is ready for a serious man, but is used to dating jobless losers with no ambition. "People wanted to work because they wanted the money. "I just hope that someday the government will look at how caregivers are treated.". show “millionaire matchmaker” arrested on domestic violence and vandalism charges — 4/04/2014 Two Fresno police officers were injured Tuesday in a struggle with a suspect. A 2016 law barred companies with outstanding wage theft judgments from conducting business in the state. Stephanie Costa provides a case study in exploiting workers, getting caught breaking labor laws and circumventing full punishment. Patti’s second client is an attractive, young millionaire, Stephanie Costa, who has a squeaky voice and an unlikely career as a retirement-home magnate. "I told my daughter I struggled so much," Riduta recalled. The case has lasted eight days, and there's still a lot of testimony to get through in this appeal hearing. FRESNO, Calif. Stephanie Costa owns the Bedford Care Group and was once featured in the hit show "Millionaire Matchmaker." William Murphy, a prosecutor with the Alameda County district attorney's office in the San Francisco Bay Area who has handled a dozen wage theft cases involving care homes in the last five years, says the business model depends on squeezing workers. They simply abandon their company names - and the judgments against those named entities - rendering the penalties and wage theft judgments meaningless. The investigation found rampant wage theft has pushed a vast majority of these caregivers into poverty. Costa's name has since been removed from the most recent business filings received by the state. "I'm still struggling," said Lim, 75. Watch Queue Queue She just turned 30 and is ready for a serious man, but is used to dating jobless losers with no ambition. They still are waiting. "There is no staffing ratio. Police accuse her of damaging her boyfriends garage door and bedroom door before scratching him on the face. Gamos also is charged with raping a caregiver. She worked around the clock as a caregiver in one of their care homes for nearly a decade, earning about $2 an hour. The complete guide by MSN. Patti's second client is an attractive, young millionaire, Stephanie Costa, who has a squeaky voice and an unlikely career as a retirement-home magnate. View the profiles of people named Stephanie Costa. … "I was crying all night," Riduta said. We didn't know our rights. One man explains how "to turn a single-family home into a cash flow machine." They are bullied into not cooperating with investigators. Jesse Quezada used to flip houses with his wife. Residential senior care homes are treating workers as indentured servants - and profiting handsomely. Workers said she offered them bribes to falsify timesheets and required them to sign agreements not to sue her. They treated us like animals.". "Elderly people aren't able to pay what they'd need to pay for these homes to be compliant.". State and federal regulators say privately that they need many more investigators and lawyers to chase down scofflaws and force them to pay. His case in point: Stephanie Costa, who appeared on the reality show Millionaire Matchmaker in 2013 with her small fortune on assisted living facilities in … "What you're doing is not a service to the industry," he said. California leads the nation with more than 7,300 residential care facilities licensed by the state. A lot of people think, 'I can't have one caregiver alone.' Her former caregivers went to the state for help, citing a lack of wages and overtime pay. My net worth is $3 million to $4 million, probably. Prosecutors from the Contra Costa County district attorney's office have charged the Publicos with multiple felonies, including grand theft and tax fraud. At night, they are deprived of sufficient sleep because they have to wake to change adult diapers, dispense painkillers, return wandering dementia residents to their beds and shift the bedridden every two hours to thwart bedsores. 2/ In 2013, Stephanie Costa appeared on the @BravoTV reality show “The Millionaire Matchmaker.” She was 30 and wealthy by most standards – worth between $3-$4 million, she said. Costa's mother, Alice Hayes, is secretary, one of two officers, of these companies, according to licensing records. When they needed help, she said they kicked her awake. "It's frustrating to be undercut," said Jose Umana, who runs Premiere Cottages, which operates several care homes in Long Beach and Huntington Beach. "Go to the mirror and look at yourself," Riduta recalled her boss saying. Plus, there's a "nice exception" in state law, Kutnerian continued. The growth of board-and-care homes in neighborhoods across the United States is tied to medical advances, enabling aging baby boomers to live longer despite debilitating illnesses. Speaking through an interpreter, Mercedes Pineda told a state hearing officer that her former boss didn't give her a day off for six months. The court ordered the defendants to pay $425,000 in back wages and damages. How do you keep them on the premises for rest and meal breaks?". How could we leave?". Yet Reveal found that some facility owners caught cheating their workers are able to evade fines and judgments. All consultation appointments will be offered via phone. Then the investigator overheard Sarkeshik shout at the worker over the phone: "You need to get him out of there or you will be fired!" Patti's second client is an attractive, young millionaire, Stephanie Costa, who has a squeaky voice and an unlikely career as a retirement-home magnate. . It's more efficient, OK? But around the same time, Costa's Bedford Care Group filed for bankruptcy, a legal maneuver that allowed her to effectively slash the amount she owed workers by settling the case for about $200,000, which she paid. Copyright © 2021 KABC-TV. "I needed that money for my medications and food, but he got away with murder by not having to pay. I cry.". At least 20 companies providing care for the elderly, disabled and mentally ill in California continue to operate illegally - many of them under their original names - after ignoring judgments for back wages and penalties totaling more than $1.4 million, Reveal found. econd client is an attractive, young millionaire, Stephanie Costa, who has a squeaky voice and an unlikely career as a retirement-home magnate. The caregiver broke down on the stand, expressing her anger against Stephanie Costa, the owner of a group of assisted living homes in Fresno and Clovis. Human trafficking - in which workers, particularly Filipinos, are coerced, manipulated and exploited - also is not uncommon, according to prosecutors and attorneys. State prosecutors say Gamos family members preyed on Filipino immigrants and "enslaved" some in their Rainbow Bright facilities. Stephanie Costa is a talented Canadian actress and director best known for her role as Sage Aiello in the Drama series The Bold Type and as Hope Ahrens in the TV series A Stranger In My Home.. Stephanie is a multi-talented personality and has covered a variety of works in her 7 years long career in the industry including voice works for the character Gladys Culkelly in the video game The … In California, the state labor commissioner's office and U.S. Department of Labor, in addition to some local governments, are charged with investigating wage theft. Overjoyed, she and the baby's father, a co-worker with whom she is in a relationship, posted the news on Facebook. Stephanie Marie Costa and Stephanie M Costa are some of the alias or nicknames that Stephanie has used. Three of Deza's co-workers said in interviews that they also were forced to return the back wages. When an investigator visited, an employee put him on the phone with Mehrangiz Sarkeshik, who owned the home with her husband. Pineda said, "We worked hard we didn't sleep, that time we have hospice.". I'm angry, but what can we do?". Exploited caregivers rarely are allowed a day off; even then, they often must pay their substitutes. In 2013, 11 workers brought wage theft claims after providing around-the-clock care in the care homes Costa owned. Stephanie Costa was 30 and enjoying a lifestyle supported in part by six board-and-care homes she owned in California's Central Valley. Follow her on Twitter: @jennifergollan. In mid-2016, the California Social Services Department banned Costa from the assisted living business for life after finding multiple health and safety violations. Publico let her keep $1,000. Because these workers often live where they work, they are under the watchful eye of their bosses. It might also keep people like this week’s representative villain, one Stephanie Costa, from driving her Ferrari to the set of something called The Millionaire Matchmaker to look for well-heeled, uptalking love while the assisted living businesses she ill-runs are cited … Still other workers never received a check in the first place. Many caregivers say they rise before daybreak to cook meals, shower residents and scrub toilets. She was 21 when she began working for the facilities shortly after arriving from the Philippines. Among the violations: caregivers working without required criminal background checks; caregivers lacking the proper skills to test the glucose of a diabetic resident whose hands had been amputated; taking in hospice patients without the state's permission; and arguing with the friend of a resident who was sent to the hospital, prompting staff there to ask her to leave. Would people actually pay that?' ', "Every time I turn around, I have problems," he said of the pending case against him. The company then took over as the new owner of Costa's six care homes. A former employee told a state hearing officer that she was overworked and underpaid. 3/ At one point in the episode, she hints at her motivations: She didn’t want to end … These new companies then received licenses from the state to run the six former Bedford care homes. The Publicos wrote Deza two checks totaling more than $17,700 in back wages. The Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division declined to make top officials available for an interview. It affected us badly," Reyes said through tears. She … The show helps self-described millionaires find suitable romantic partners. Stephanie Costa is challenging the state labor commissioner, fighting to keep the more than one million dollars in fines she's been ordered to pay. One of them was Julie Riduta, 45, of Concord. "I took the checks into the banks, then returned to the car and gave him the cash," said Deza, 66. Buy HD $2.99. About two-thirds are smaller facilities with four to 25 residents, many with dementia. In late 2017, the Publicos sold the care home where Lim worked. She excoriated the investigator for the intrusion: "You didn't tell me you were coming. He called it a bonus, she said. Pat Leary, acting director of the Department of Social Services, declined through spokesman Michael Weston to be interviewed. After an audit, the labor commissioner's office ordered the Bedford Care Group and Stephanie Costa to pay more than a million dollars in unpaid overtime, 17 grand in unpaid minimum wage, and 95 grand in meal and rest period premiums. The case is pending. "That's the trick. Patti hopes Robin has learned, and promises that if she listens, she'll have a chance at love. Wow. I worked so hard for it. Last year, four members of a family were charged with various felonies, including human trafficking and labor abuse, in San Mateo County, south of San Francisco. Care homes with just one caregiver on duty can require that worker to stay for rest and meal breaks, he noted, adding: "If you have two caregivers there, they have to be able to leave. JENNIFER GOLLAN of Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting, In this Friday, March 1, 2019 photo, Normita Lim poses for a photograph at her home in Concord, Calif. Lim did not receive back pay from her former employer, Publico, who paid her $2 an hour. Three months after Costa's star turn on Bravo in 2013, the state labor commissioner's office ordered Costa and her company, Bedford Care Group, to pay about $1.6 million for unpaid wages and penalties. ", The agency noted that in California, it has conducted investigations and "extensive outreach" to care-home operators "ensuring that they pay their workers the wages they have legally earned.". A substantial number are working in the U.S. without authorization or applying to remain legally in the country. But in an email, Weston wrote that while the law allows his agency to deny a new license or not renew an existing one, the agency can take these steps only if it finds residents' health and safety have been threatened. Reveal interviewed more than 80 workers, care-home operators and government regulators and reviewed hundreds of wage theft cases handled by California and federal labor regulators, workers and local district attorneys. Residential care facilities for the elderly receive among the largest wage theft judgments of any industry. Entrepreneurs on YouTube urge people to jump into the real estate end of the business by buying single-family homes and converting them into care facilities. In each episode, two wealthy clients are set up on dates hand-picked by Stanger based upon their beauty and intelligence. The work was grueling, but she needed the pay to educate her daughter, left behind in the Philippines, from the age of 8. A reality TV contestant who appeared on an episode of ‘Millionaire Matchmaker’ was recently released after posting bail on charges of domestic violence and felony vandalism, an online report stated Thursday, April 3.. Papers were then filed with the state to create two new residential care-home companies called Clear View Retirement Group LLC and Copper River Retirement Group LLC. She said she stayed on as a caregiver for just a month under the new owner. In just two long weekends, they were qualified. "It makes the whole industry look like they're getting rich and ripping people off. But the structure and administrative staff in the care homes? It's about justice and it's about making sure that Stephanie stops these labor practices.". Two caregivers reported having miscarriages after lifting heavy residents and being denied time off. More than a decade ago, she arrived from the Philippines to work as a caregiver in a care home in Contra Costa County. Rarely allowed a day off, she kept working, afraid she would be fired if she complained. Hayes declined to comment. The lid of her black lacquer grand piano is propped open in the living room of her plush Beverly Hills home. In court filings, prosecutors allege that some workers slept on mattresses on the floor and in garages and were prohibited from leaving the facilities, where they cared for children, the disabled and some seniors. Many companies play shell games by not keeping money or real estate holdings in the name of the company against which judgments or fines are entered. People are living longer and they're sicker.". This has resulted in an increasing number of gravely ill people or their family members seeking an alternative to costly nursing home care. She just turned 30 and is ready for a serious man, but is used to dating jobless losers with no ambition. "Are there problems? Quezada and his wife enrolled in a course required by California to run a home. Stephanie Costa was 30 and enjoying a lifestyle supported in part by six board-and-care homes she owned in California's Central Valley. For the first three years, Riduta slept on a thin piece of foam on the floor next to the residents. Costa's care homes promoted 24/7 care for frail clients. Stephanie Costa was arrested at her Clovis home. The workers are treated horribly.". Leave right now!". She just turned 30 and is ready for a serious man, but is used to dating jobless losers with no ambition. But the property still is licensed to Glenda Publico, records show. They now operate several care homes. She just turned 30 and is ready for a … Data obtained by Reveal through a California Public Records Act request shows senior care facilities in the state have pending wage theft claims against them or have been ordered to pay back wages and penalties in more than 110 additional cases. She alights from a black Ferrari convertible, her Christian Louboutin stilettos glinting in the sunlight. They changed adults' diapers, comforted the dying and hoisted infirm residents into bed. Rommel Publico picked her up from work and drove her to two different banks. Join Facebook to connect with Stephanie Costa and others you may know. Attorneys representing the caregivers have said in past interviews that they hope this case sets a precedent. Patti's second client is an attractive, young millionaire, Stephanie Costa, who has a squeaky voice and an unlikely career as a retirement-home magnate. In a phone interview, Rommel Publico defended the treatment of his caregivers and said the charges against him "hurt my feelings. Some workers who were injured on the job were told to lie to emergency room doctors about how they were maimed. But when she begged her boss for two days off, Riduta said she refused. "I own a chain of elderly care facilities," she says into the camera on Bravo's reality television show "The Millionaire Matchmaker." She went as far as fabricating evidence to cover up her wage theft, court documents show. Quezada was among more than 200 care-home owners, many of whom arrived in BMWs and Teslas, for a daylong seminar at a Southern California community hall last October. An attorney for Noel Gamos did not return calls seeking comment. Last January, Californian Stephanie Costa appeared on Millionaire Matchmaker, a reality TV program on Bravo. When the investigator tried to follow up, workers told him that they were too scared to talk. Patti's second client is an attractive, young millionaire, Stephanie Costa, who has a squeaky voice and an unlikely career as a retirement-home magnate. In fact, manicurists in California require more training. Her attorney declined to comment. Across the country, legions of these caregivers earn a pittance to tend to the elderly in residential houses refurbished as care facilities, according to an investigation by Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting. They are paid less than they're promised, isolated and restricted to the facilities. Riduta had a miscarriage two weeks later. While some are unsure how to pay their workers properly, care-home owners are certain about one thing: There is money to be made. Patti's task is to set up Irv, actress Denise Richards' dad, whose wife passed away from cancer five years ago. "Their entire business model is predicated on not making payroll. They worked six days a week and subsisted on meager wages, according to interviews and court documents. But the state Department of Social Services' Community Care Licensing Division, which is in charge of licensing facilities for the elderly and disabled, has not followed through. Stephanie Costa represents a rare case in which an operator paid up, if only a partial amount of the original fine. Only trafficked people will put up with that.". “I own a chain of elderly care facilities,” she says into the camera on Bravo’s reality television show “The Millionaire Matchmaker.” “My net worth is $3 to $4 million, probably.” Stephanie Costa was 30 and rich by most standards yet believed it was time to fetch a man of means. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. She now cares for her husband, who is on dialysis. Both a Doctor and a Lawyer, Bradley dated one of the millionairesses this season (Stephanie Costa… All Rights Reserved. Stephanie Costa currently lives in Fresno, CA; in the past Stephanie has also lived in Beverly Hills CA and Clovis CA. Staff in assisted living facilities need not be nurses or have any medical expertise. Summary: Stephanie Costa is 38 years old today because Stephanie's birthday is on 04/06/1982. Still, for workers earning anemic pay, "it's possible they're happy, too," he added. "It breaks my heart. "We knew we were being underpaid," said Juliet Delos Reyes, 60, a former caregiver employed by Costa. In many cases, workers in the industry fall into jobs that become increasingly abusive. Reveal found 90 caregivers in California who said their bosses intimidated them, threatened to report them to immigration authorities or blacklist them in the industry. The cause was unknown. Police accuse her of damaging her boyfriends garage door and bedroom door before scratching him on the face. Costa posted bail and was released. In some cases, care-home operators have threatened to report undocumented workers to authorities. (James Tensuan/Reveal via AP). Accuse her of damaging her boyfriends garage door and bedroom door before him. Greed by the owners a different name and judgments co-worker with whom she is a. Out she was a client, she disobeyed all of patti 's task is to up! A high school diploma or the equivalent would remain the same she in! 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