Valley residents seeking back pay from golf cart business owner

CBS Local 2 stands for you, and that includes taking a stand for some former employees of a valley business who say they’re owed back pay.

We also spoke to a number of valley business owners who say the owner of Performance Golf Carts in Thousands Palms also owes them money.

The owner of Performance Golf Carts is Tim Ramsey, who pled guilty to 11 charges stemming from fraud cases in Desert Hot Springs in 2006.

An elderly victim in one of those fraud cases spoke to CBS Local 2 in February 2006, following Ramsey’s arrest on fraud charges.

“I hope being in jail would teach him a lesson. I hope it does. But I think he’ll move somewhere else and go back into business again if he gets out,” said Pauline Eubanks.

Ramsey was convicted of stealing thousands of dollars from Eubanks and several other seniors, while posing as a licensed contractor.

Now, Ramsey is the owner of Performance Golf Carts on Varner Road in Thousand Palms, the second such business Ramsey has been involved with since serving three years of a six year prison sentence.

“He has taken advantage of many people, and it is not fair, and he has done it before,” said Thousand Palms resident Monique Dushaune, one of several people once employed by Ramsey, who say their former boss owes them back pay.

The single mother of two says she is owed roughly $2,400.

“He thinks he is above the law, and he thinks he can get away with it,” said Dushaune.

La Quinta resident Gail Poindexter also worked for Tim Ramsey and claims she had to fight for what she was owed.

Poindexter also says Ramsey owes money to her mother, which her mother turned over to Ramsey in the form of a personal loan.

“He has totally ruined any kind of friendship I feel my mom could have ever had with either him or his wife,” said Poindexter.

To bring attention to their alleged grievances, the former employees demonstrated outside Performance Golf Carts in Thousand Palms.

After we showed up with a camera, a shop employee came out and began removing golf carts from their display location in front of the store.

On camera, the employee said to CBS Local 2, “I’d rather you not film me”.

One valley business owner we spoke to, who did not want to appear on camera, showed us his records of services he provided to Tim Ramsey, valued at $1,600.

The business owner says he too is waiting for money.

In fact, we spoke with 6 other valley business owners who tell us Mr. Ramsey owes them money.

“For him to be able to get away with this, and continue to run a new business, I think a lot of people will get hurt in the future,” said Poindexter.

The state labor department tells us two complaints seeking back wages have been filed against Mr. Ramsey.

Ramsey turned down our request to comment on camera, but he spoke briefly with CBS Local 2 by phone.

Ramsey admitted owing money to former employees and said he would pay them in October.

He also referred us to an attorney in Palm Springs, who at that time, he had not yet retained.

At this point, Deshaune says her fight is about more than just the money.

“He needs to be stopped, and he needs to not be in business anymore,” said Dushaune.

Dushaune has filed a complaint with the sheriff’s department in Palm Desert.

The department is not investigating because complaints involving back wages are handled as a civil matter.