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The janitor at the Norfolk location of Virginia Employment Services told NewsChannel 3 that the managers packed up and took off 'like thieves in the night' on Friday.
This morning the office was empty and all the furniture was gone. There was only a note pinned to the glass door for clients to contact them.
The employment service - which charges clients a fee - has been the subject of a NewsChannel 3 investigation for months.
Last month the state filed a lawsuit against the owners of VES stating they bilked clients out of their money without getting them a job.
Former VES client Maria Garcia is mad because it appears that VES has disappeared. She was running a snack bar at the flea market at SoNo when she approached VES for a job.
She wanted a second job with benefits to support herself and her son but couldn't afford the $365 fee.
She says the managers promised a payment plan, but when she looked at her bank account:
"The next day they wiped out my car and they withdraw the money on my card."
Hundreds of former VES clients have made that complaint to NewsChannel 3 and local prosecutors.
NewsChannel 3 learned that many of the clients were being led to VES thru ads in the Daily Press like the one featured in a 13 page civil lawsuit filed by the state against VES last month.
A lawyer for Virginia Employment Services responded to the lawsuit saying his client "Deny allegations of improper business practices."
Maria filed assault and threats to kill charges against the owner James O'Leary and managers Crystal and Dana Harrison of VES. They appeared in court last week but the charges were dismissed.
Maria is not giving up. Even though she says she cannot afford an attorney she is thinking about a civil action of her own to make VES pay.
"I'm not just doing this for me. I'm doing this for everybody that's been a victim and I hope they hear this cry out for help."
We called the number VES had posted on the door of it's now closed office. All we got was this recording: "Please leave your name and number and a representative will returned your call. Thank you and have a wonderful day."
Nowhere in that recorded message - that NewsChannel 3 got several times when we called the number - was the company identified.
But we did look it up online and found it being used in an ad for a dating service on Craigslist, one of the internet sites VES used to advertise it's employment service.
NewsChannel 3 also talked with a spokesman with the Virginia Attorney Generals Office and asked if they are concerned that VES had packed up and vacated their Norfolk office - and if this would impact the state's lawsuit.
Their response: "While it is welcome news that they are apparently ceasing operations, this Office is seeking far more including injunctive relief, penalties, attorneys' fees and restitution for consumers.
The attorney general's office accuses the company of violating the Virginia Consumer Protection Act by charging consumers hundreds of dollars in membership fees in exchange for guaranteed jobs but then offered little or no assistance in finding work.
The companies refused to provide refunds, and made unauthorized charges to debit and credit cards, causing consumers to incur over-the-limit and overdraft fees. Two of the companies have shared office locations. James or Karla O'Leary served as principals for each of the companies. The Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney's Office settled with another O'Leary company, Jobs Plus, Inc., in 2006 under its authority to enforce the Virginia Consumer Protection Act. Since then, it collected complaints about the other three companies, but turned these complaints over to the Attorney General's Office on March 27, 2009.
NewsChannel 3 began looking in to the practices of VES in early March, part of the investigation included asking the Commonwealth Attorney and the Attorney General why they had not taken action against the company.
The Attorney General's Office investigated the complaints, obtained extensive records from the targeted companies and met with representatives. When the companies refused to reimburse consumers or halt prohibited conduct, the Attorney General filed suit. "People are working so hard to get through these tough times," Attorney General Mims said. "And yet, Virginia Employment Services used this as an opening to solicit those who can afford it the least -- people who are desperately seeking jobs. These people should get their money back, and the prohibited conduct brought to a halt."
The Attorney General's lawsuit seeks full reimbursement to each consumer for "membership" fees (typically $365 or more), as well as reimbursement for over-the-limit fees and overdraft fees incurred by unauthorized charges. It also requests a permanent injunction from such conduct in the future, as well as civil penalties and attorneys' fees. Consumers should report such activities of Virginia Employment Services or any other company to the Office of Consumer Affairs at 1-800-552-9963 or www.vdacs.virginia.gov
This morning the office was empty and all the furniture was gone. There was only a note pinned to the glass door for clients to contact them.
The employment service - which charges clients a fee - has been the subject of a NewsChannel 3 investigation for months.
Last month the state filed a lawsuit against the owners of VES stating they bilked clients out of their money without getting them a job.
Former VES client Maria Garcia is mad because it appears that VES has disappeared. She was running a snack bar at the flea market at SoNo when she approached VES for a job.
She wanted a second job with benefits to support herself and her son but couldn't afford the $365 fee.
She says the managers promised a payment plan, but when she looked at her bank account:
"The next day they wiped out my car and they withdraw the money on my card."
Hundreds of former VES clients have made that complaint to NewsChannel 3 and local prosecutors.
NewsChannel 3 learned that many of the clients were being led to VES thru ads in the Daily Press like the one featured in a 13 page civil lawsuit filed by the state against VES last month.
A lawyer for Virginia Employment Services responded to the lawsuit saying his client "Deny allegations of improper business practices."
Maria filed assault and threats to kill charges against the owner James O'Leary and managers Crystal and Dana Harrison of VES. They appeared in court last week but the charges were dismissed.
Maria is not giving up. Even though she says she cannot afford an attorney she is thinking about a civil action of her own to make VES pay.
"I'm not just doing this for me. I'm doing this for everybody that's been a victim and I hope they hear this cry out for help."
We called the number VES had posted on the door of it's now closed office. All we got was this recording: "Please leave your name and number and a representative will returned your call. Thank you and have a wonderful day."
Nowhere in that recorded message - that NewsChannel 3 got several times when we called the number - was the company identified.
But we did look it up online and found it being used in an ad for a dating service on Craigslist, one of the internet sites VES used to advertise it's employment service.
NewsChannel 3 also talked with a spokesman with the Virginia Attorney Generals Office and asked if they are concerned that VES had packed up and vacated their Norfolk office - and if this would impact the state's lawsuit.
Their response: "While it is welcome news that they are apparently ceasing operations, this Office is seeking far more including injunctive relief, penalties, attorneys' fees and restitution for consumers.
The attorney general's office accuses the company of violating the Virginia Consumer Protection Act by charging consumers hundreds of dollars in membership fees in exchange for guaranteed jobs but then offered little or no assistance in finding work.
The companies refused to provide refunds, and made unauthorized charges to debit and credit cards, causing consumers to incur over-the-limit and overdraft fees. Two of the companies have shared office locations. James or Karla O'Leary served as principals for each of the companies. The Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney's Office settled with another O'Leary company, Jobs Plus, Inc., in 2006 under its authority to enforce the Virginia Consumer Protection Act. Since then, it collected complaints about the other three companies, but turned these complaints over to the Attorney General's Office on March 27, 2009.
NewsChannel 3 began looking in to the practices of VES in early March, part of the investigation included asking the Commonwealth Attorney and the Attorney General why they had not taken action against the company.
The Attorney General's Office investigated the complaints, obtained extensive records from the targeted companies and met with representatives. When the companies refused to reimburse consumers or halt prohibited conduct, the Attorney General filed suit. "People are working so hard to get through these tough times," Attorney General Mims said. "And yet, Virginia Employment Services used this as an opening to solicit those who can afford it the least -- people who are desperately seeking jobs. These people should get their money back, and the prohibited conduct brought to a halt."
The Attorney General's lawsuit seeks full reimbursement to each consumer for "membership" fees (typically $365 or more), as well as reimbursement for over-the-limit fees and overdraft fees incurred by unauthorized charges. It also requests a permanent injunction from such conduct in the future, as well as civil penalties and attorneys' fees. Consumers should report such activities of Virginia Employment Services or any other company to the Office of Consumer Affairs at 1-800-552-9963 or www.vdacs.virginia.gov
