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Tancredo Uproar - Drywall installer angrily challenges illegal-alien claim
Rocky Mountain News ^
| 9/20/02
| Heather Draper And M.E. Sprengelmeyer
Posted on 09/20/2002 5:39:11 PM PDT by Tancredo Fan
Businessman denies charges
Drywall installer angrily challenges illegal-alien claim
By Heather Draper And M.E. Sprengelmeyer, Rocky Mountain News
September 20, 2002
A Denver businessman accused of using illegal workers to remodel U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo's basement said Thursday he would welcome a visit from immigration officials.
J.J. Fukunaga, who has owned and operated Creative Drywall Designs of Denver for 19 years, said he was blindsided by the accusations and frustrated that he didn't know who was making them.
The Denver Post, citing unnamed sources, reported Thursday that illegal immigrants were used to finish Tancredo's basement and install a home theater system - charges that Fukunaga angrily denied.
The newspaper interviewed two workers who said they took part in the job.
"I can't believe the story came out without anybody doing their homework," Fukunaga said.
He said he has documentation on all his employees and has been meeting with his lawyer to determine what he should do next. He said he would happily allow U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service agents to go over the paperwork.
Fukunaga and several members of his family also run Denver Audio Design, which worked on Tancredo's home theater system, installed during the basement remodeling. Denver Audio currently only has one employee on its payroll, store manager Brett Olkowski, who said he was born in Buffalo, N.Y.
Olkowski said he and two other men worked on Tancredo's audio system - Jeff Wolff, who was born in Denver, and Brad Brock-Purviance, who was born in San Diego.
"We're all definitely legal citizens," Olkowski said.
Tancredo's offices in Denver and Washington were flooded with calls, mostly in his support, his staff said.
Tancredo, a Republican from Littleton representing Colorado's 6th Congressional District, said he had no evidence that the companies involved in his renovation project did anything wrong, so he planned to take no action.
"I have nothing to tell the INS about these two alleged illegal aliens who are felons," Tancredo said.
"I don't know who they are and I don't even know if they are real people.
"I have no information to lead me to believe the company has done anything wrong. I don't even know, frankly, that those people really are here illegally. They could be people who didn't even work in my basement, but they despise me."
TOPICS: Activism/Chapters; Mexico; News/Current Events; US: Colorado
KEYWORDS: badjournalism; crime; illegalimmigration; immigrantlist; smearcampaign; tancredo
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To: Drill Alaska
Looks like there's 907 illegal aliens voting in the very unfavorable category. Didn't anyone tell them it's illegal for them to vote in newspaper polls?
To: Tancredo Fan
I just sent a "letter to the editor" of the Denver Post, at:
letters@denverpost.com
Don't look for it to be published. They don't publish that kind of criticism.
I suggest that a few others do the same.
22
posted on
09/20/2002 7:37:59 PM PDT
by
jackbill
To: Reaganwuzthebest
Looks like there's 907 illegal aliens voting in the very unfavorable category. Nah, those were votes from the White House.
23
posted on
09/20/2002 7:39:23 PM PDT
by
sarcasm
To: Tancredo Fan
What a neat clintonesque, dirty trick, leak unnamed sources to the media who then attack the opponent without question. The public will remember the charges and pay no mind to the truth while the media will protect their sources for future useage. One just needs to look to see who gains by this to know who is behind it.
24
posted on
09/20/2002 7:46:51 PM PDT
by
fella
To: L.N. Smithee
The funny thing was the way the retraction was written; the words were couched as if they had just received new information, and were "happy to report" that O'Neill's marriage was not in trouble at all! Can you say sleaze?
It appears to me the Denver Post is making the Enquirer look good.
To: fella
Here's another looney hit piece in the Rocky Mountain News. This columnist accuses Tancredo of "dropping a dime" on the illegals. I guess he didn't notice that the idiot illegal advertised his criminality on the front page of the Denver Post, along with the help of the corrupt Mexican government. No wonder Colorado is crawling with illegals.
Johnson: America has honor student, fry cooks on the run
To: sarcasm
Nah, those were votes from the White House. Karl Rove must be double dipping again.
To: Rome2000
I'll rest easy tonight knowing Tancredo is on the job. God knows illegal Mexicans are a high priority in these troubled times. Maybe when he's done kicking out all of the illegal Mexicans he can get rid of the Mafia. Funny - except that Bush's willful non-enforcement of immigration law and failure to reign in legal immigration will ensure:
1) that the next batch of islamic terrorists gets into the country (or springs up from a growing, immigration-fed domestic muslim community.
2) that the Dems become the permanent majority party nationally (when TX and FL soon start voting like CA)
28
posted on
09/20/2002 8:16:24 PM PDT
by
RodgerD
To: Tancredo Fan
Tancredo is really making the illegal invaders nervous.
To: home educate
Sounds like an attempt to railroad Tom Tancredo by accusing him of being a hypocrite for having illegal aliens doing remodeling on his house. There are a lot of people that would like to railroad Tom. This is probably only the beginning. The Anti-American Open Borders Liberal and Neo-Con contingent will stop at nothing to discredit those who try to alert the American People of their treachery.
30
posted on
09/20/2002 8:36:18 PM PDT
by
WRhine
To: sarcasm
Poll?
Hey, do we keep on FReeping or do we stop at 80%?
I tried clearing all my cookies 3 times and I'm still blocked from voting. Maybe this is happening to others, as well.
Vote again and repeat cycle ad infinitum.
Bump for Justice.
31
posted on
09/20/2002 9:54:21 PM PDT
by
PRND21
To: Tancredo Fan
I hope the Post gets sued out of existence. Frankly, Tancredo should send the INS to the post, who hires many illegals. Many of their warehouse and distribution workers are illegals.
32
posted on
09/21/2002 8:21:29 AM PDT
by
Scruffy
To: Scruffy
Many of their warehouse and distribution workers are illegals.How do you know?
33
posted on
09/22/2002 1:23:22 AM PDT
by
PRND21
To: PRND21
Been there, saw that.
34
posted on
09/22/2002 9:58:27 AM PDT
by
Scruffy
To: Scruffy
Did you report it?
35
posted on
09/22/2002 9:13:02 PM PDT
by
PRND21
To: Tancredo Fan
I smell a potential libel suit if what the contractor is claiming is true.
To: PRND21
To who? The INS? HA! Good luck, Mr. Naive, the INS doesn't take such reports nor does anything about them.
A fellow FReeper is a higher up in the INS food chain and has admitted as much. I have also made several reports to the INS in the past and NOTHING has come of it. Yes, the people were indeed illegals, and that had been proven in a court, still, nothing. Hell, one had committed several felonies, including the prostitution of minors. She is still here.
37
posted on
09/23/2002 9:02:11 AM PDT
by
Scruffy
To: Scruffy
A fellow FReeper is a higher up in the INS food chain and has admitted as much.Too bad he's become as dishonest as Tancredo.
Link
Welcome to FR. You'll fit right in.
38
posted on
09/23/2002 2:28:25 PM PDT
by
PRND21
To: PRND21
In other words, you're a lying, anti-American liberal. Thanks for the info.
39
posted on
09/23/2002 4:01:57 PM PDT
by
Scruffy
To: PRND21
Actually, I bet you are a dishonest Mexican illegal.
40
posted on
09/23/2002 4:02:45 PM PDT
by
Scruffy
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