Illegal Maid: Whitman Treated Me Like Dirt

Meg Whitman not only employed her despite knowing she was an illegal alien, the candidate used that knowledge to exploit her, Whitman's former housekeeper says. Nicky Diaz says her duties expanded to include looking after Whitman's children and running errands, and she was never paid for the many extra hours she worked. "I'm doing this because I know there are a lot of Megs out there who are mistreating the Nickys who work so hard for them," she tells the Los Angeles Times.

Whitman—who, during her campaign for California governor, has called for employers of illegal immigrants to be held responsible—has admitted employing Diaz from 2000 to 2009, but firmly denies that she knew the maid was in the country illegally. Both women give very different accounts of Diaz's firing. Diaz's attorney, Gloria Allred, says she will release evidence today showing that Whitman ignored warnings from as far back as 2003 that Diaz's Social Security number didn't match government records.