Monday, February 11, 2013

El Sol Broadcasting Attempts To Censor News About MC Multiservicios Lawsuit During Nfoque Latino Radio Program

Operator of El Sol broadcasting has requested for Nfoque Latino, an independent Spanish speaking program at 1460 AM radio from providing any type of news concerning a lawsuit filed by 49 Plaintiffs against MC Multiservicios for keeping portions of their federal tax refunds.

By H. Nelson Goodson
February 11, 2013

Milwaukee, WI - On Monday, Zonia Lopez, the director and radio host for Nfoque Latino, an independent and popular Spanish radio program at WJTI 1460 AM radio has confirmed, that John Torres, the owner of El Sol Broadcasting had requested for Nfoque Latino to stop or cease to continue to provide news casts from Hispanic News Network U.S.A. (HNNUSA) about the MC Multiservicios lawsuit filed by 49 Plaintiffs alleging the local tax service kept portions of their federal tax refunds. Nfoque Latino is an informative and issue orientated program geared to the predominantly Hispanic community. The program airs one hour per day, five days a week at El Sol Broadcasting.
MC Multiservicios is also a client of El Sol Broadcasting and sponsors a radio program hosted by Attorney Victor Arellano. Arellano is representing both Jenny and Juan Contreras, owners of MC Multiservicios in the civil lawsuit. 
Voces de la Frontera, an immigrant and workers rights organzation also airs a program on Saturdays at 1460 AM radio and MC Multiservicios also advertises in the program.
Staff members at El Sol Broadcasting alleged, Arellano and MC Multiservicios has threatened to pull their radio program and all media advertising from El Sol Broadcasting, if Nfoque Latino continued to broadcast news about the current lawsuit MC Multiservicios is facing. 
Arellano or Contreras could not be reached on Monday for comment concerning the threat of pulling all advertising from El Sol Broadcasting, if Nfoque Latino continued to broadcast news about the filed lawsuit. When contacted last week, Contreras would not comment about the lawsuit and Arellano did not return a call to HNNUSA concerning the lawsuit. MC Multiservicios has 45 days to respond to a Milwaukee County court from the filing date of the lawsuit.
Also, Torres could not be reached for comment, whether he has censored any news casts related to the MC Multiservicios civil lawsuit at his station.
Everyday, before Nfoque Latino is aired, a disclaimer from El Sol Broadcasting announces that it is the sole opinion of Nfoque Latino for what ever is said during the program and not the opinion of the station. 
On January 29, a major civil lawsuit was filed by the law firm of Stupar & Schuster, S.C. on behave of 49 plaintiffs claiming that MC Multiservicios, 1010 S. César E. Chávez Dr. a southside tax preparing service owned by Jenny and Juan Contreras kept some of their federal tax refunds. The plaintiffs claim in their complaint, that they were short changed between $100 to $680 totalling $11,973 in 2010 of their 2009 tax refunds by the Contreras.
The lawsuit claims, that Jenny and Juan Contreras engaged in theft and "intentionally retained a portion of said tax refunds without the Plaintiff's consent." The Contreras filed the Plaintiffs federal tax returns electronically and the IRS refunded an amount that was then deposited in the MC Multiservicios bank account. Then MC Multiservicios made checks in different amounts from their own bank account and gave them to their clients who are now Plaintiffs in the complaint. 
The Plaintiffs paid for the tax preparation service and were unaware that the Contreras were keeping a hefty portion of their federal tax refunds without their consent, according to the lawsuit.
In September, Hispanic News Network U.S.A. (HNNUSA) first reported the MC Multiservicios tax withholding theft claims that were made by the Plaintiffs. The Contreras at that time would not comment about the allegations made by their clients who claimed that a portion of their tax refunds were kept after using the tax service.

49 Plaintiffs vs. Jenny Contreras, Juan Contreras,  MC Multiservicios Inc. (PDF) lawsuit at link: http://bit.ly/XWYv0G

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