HOUSTON – For the first time, former employees who worked for Christal Clear Designs, the celebrity interior designer firm, are sharing their stories.
“It took a lot of courage for me to decide to do this,” Kendra Perez said.
“It was very disappointing. I didn’t know I was going to be working for a fraudulent business,” another former employee who did not want to be identified said.
Two of the former workers chose to remain anonymous.
“I have been receiving death threats from the owners themselves as well as their family members. I kept hearing that I’m getting blamed for stealing clients and all the money so I’m here to basically get justice for these clients,” a former client said.
Five victims have already spoken out after they paid the company thousands of dollars for unfinished work.
Kendra Perez was the manager of the business for almost five years.
“At the beginning, it was nothing short of amazing. It was so much fun,” Perez said.
Perez said everything changed last February when projects were not getting completed and clients along with vendors and contractors were asking about orders.
“I had to remove myself from the company to basically better myself. It got to a point where my mental health was really taking a toll on me because I loved my job. I loved it so much,” she said.
One former worker believes the owners, Jessie and Octavia Christal, took on too many clients.
“There was a point where we were dealing with 15 to 18 clients at one time,” the former employee said.
Former workers also said their paychecks were delayed and they were receiving calls from debt collectors.
“Within my first two weeks I was working in the office we were locked out and working in the dark because the power was out,” a former employee said.
“We were told to put business expenses into our personal name. I still have a balance in my name of $2,000 that I have to pay that will go on my credit,” another former employee said.
The company deleted its website, and they haven’t posted anything on its Instagram page, which has 130,000 followers since February 2022.
“People just want answers,” Perez said.
The former employees have filed reports with the Houston Police Department, which is looking into the threats.
KPRC 2reached out to the Attorney General’s Office. And the owners, Jessie and Octavia Christal have not responded to text, calls or emails.