Nanny Dumps Kids In Daycare

Roxanna Patricia Villamarin seemed like the perfect nanny, until her clients found out that instead of taking their children on fun outings to the zoo, she was dumping them at another in-house daycare. Villamarin paid this unlicensed daycare provider $US10 per day.

Her own salary? $US16 per hour.

Now she’s facing five counts of grand theft, one count of intimidating a witness and one count of annoying phone calls (is that a real crime?).

How did she do it?

Villamarin encouraged her clients with her focus on educational outings and strong opinions on child-rearing. She even offered to make organic homemade baby food for the little ones. But according to officials, Villamarin had been leaving at least five clients’ children in a rundown apartment over five years.

“She would pick up the children; she would drop them off at an unlicensed daycare centre. And she would pursue other goals,” City Attorney Will Rivera said. Goals like working other jobs, in a farmer’s market and in her family’s restaurant.

Villamarin told the kids they were going to “the library,” so when the kids relayed that information to their parents, no red flags were raised.

But there weren’t many books in “the library,” a small, rundown apartment with barred windows on a busy street in East Hollywood.

I know if my kids told me their nanny was taking them to the library all the time, I’d be thrilled. But I like to think I’d ask them a little more about it.

What did you read at the library? Did you go for story time? Did you see any of your friends there? Where are the books you checked out? One child told his parents he took a shower at the library. Villamarin told the parents their son was being silly, but that certainly would have given me pause. My children shouldn’t be showering anywhere I’m not.

According to Villamarin, the parents deserved it. “They treat me bad, I treat them bad,” she says. Among her complaints: she was underpaid, didn’t receive health insurance, and was paid under the table. Did she ever raise these issues? “No, it’s not my style to complain,” she says.

Outsourcing her work and taking advantage of trusting parents, however, is her style.