Posted on 09/20/2002 5:39:11 PM PDT by Tancredo Fan
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."
The only dishonest persons are you illegals who have come here in violation of our immigration laws. You might not like someone pointing that out, and being a LEGAL American, but you can sneak back across the border anytime you don't like it, wetback.
Actually, I bet you are a dishonest Mexican illegal.
You lose that bet as well, newbie.
Probably the RNC.
LOL!
For the record.
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