(WSVN) – State and federal law enforcement officials are investigating a South Florida company that held recruiting events in Haitian communities after people complained they invested large sums of money and did not receive compensation. .
7’s Heather Walker investigates.
Fabiola White and her boyfriend thought getting into the trucking business would be a good way to make some extra money. He was in charge of driving. She will do the paperwork.
Fabiola White: “I hear it’s very lucrative. There’s a lot of money out there.”
The couple wanted to focus on delivering small shipments using large pickup trucks.
Fabiola found a company called Hotshot Roadmap, LLC that offered her work. But before that, she needed to buy her own truck.
Fabiola White: “Vehicle costs will be $15 to $20,000 lower.”
Fabiola then paid $8,000 to add the truck to the company’s fleet.
Her contract states that she will be paid a percentage of each delivery. But Fabiola says she asked for her money back after spending all that money and not getting any delivery work.
Fabiola White: “He said, ‘What money?'” and hung up. I’m very frustrated. I’m really upset. ”
Fabiola’s contact at the company was Yves-Paul Demesmin.
He is not listed in state business records for Hotshot Roadmap LLC, but his photo is posted on its website.
I called the company and they said they had heard the complaints.
Yves-Paul Demesmin/Hotshot Roadmap, LLC: “This is a group doing this to sabotage the company.”
Demesmin tells Seven Investigates that he doesn’t owe Fabiola anything. She said her boyfriend was unable to work and her money was used to pay for equipment and company insurance.
Yves-Paul Demesmin: “These people know nothing about this business.”
Fabiola says she’s not alone. She believes Demesmin focuses on recent Haitian immigrants.
The website has videos in Creole, and Demesmin held recruitment events in Haitian communities.
Gene/Truck Owner: “I’ll tell you what it’s like to be between $5,000 and $10,000 a week.”
Gene doesn’t want us to see his face. He joined the company after attending a Demesmin event.
He said he spent several thousand dollars on each truck and another $7,000 to add his own truck to the company’s fleet, but he never made a profit.
Gene: “He said ‘no’, he doesn’t owe us anything. Yeah.”
Demesmin said he did nothing wrong and was actually trying to help the Haitian community.
Yves-Paul Demesmin: “I bring this business to my community, and now they want to say bad things about our company.”
Complaints against the company were filed with both the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Florida Attorney General’s Office. Both men expressed concern about the company’s practices.
Heather Walker, 7News.
Contact 7 investigates:
305-627-CLUE
954-921-CLUE
[email protected]
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
