Housekeeper accuses billionaire candidate of illegal employment

Sep 30, 2010, 0:15 GMT

Los Angeles - A former housekeeper to Meg Whitman claimed Wednesday that the billionaire Republican nominee for California governor employed her for nine years despite knowing she was in the country illegally.

Whitman's campaign rejected the allegations of Nicandra Diaz and said that the Mexican national was fired last year when she admitted lying to Whitman about her immigration status. Diaz claimed that she was fired when she asked Whitman to help her legalize her status.

'I felt she was throwing me away like a piece of garbage,' Diaz said at a press conference. 'She treated me as if I was not a human being.'

The allegations could further hamper the chances of former eBay chief Whitman to win the November election against Democratic nominee Jerry Brown. They are seeking to succeed Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Whitman has taken a strong stand on immigration, and the latest imbroglio could further damage her standing among California's powerful Latino community. Whitman currently trails Brown by 52 points to 43 according to a CNN/Time Magazine poll, despite spending a record 119 million dollars of her own money on the campaign.