LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – Employees of a chain of beauty salons claim they’re owed thousands of dollars in back pay and said the business owner is nowhere to be found.

The employees worked at “Fantastic Sams” in Henderson and Las Vegas.

Jaymee Lawrence owned the five Fantastic Sams salons and closed them all. Two of her former employees told 8 News Now, she bought the shops within the last year. They were hopeful at first, but quickly soured once their paychecks didn’t arrive on time.
 
“Our first paycheck from her was a week and half a late,” Melissa Snyder said. “Those of us that depend on our paychecks, that live paycheck to paycheck with children, we didn’t get to do our last minute Christmas shopping.”
 
Snyder worked for Lawrence until May at the Fantastic Sams location near SilvardoRanch Boulevard and Maryland Parkway.

“Mine was the first to go, which was Silverado and Maryland in March,” Snyder said. “She came in and claimed that the state board shut them down, shut us down, and I was like, okay?”
 
But, that wasn’t the case.
 
According to a document 8 News Now obtained, that was dated March 7, Lawrence owed $11,500 in rent at the 9775 Maryland Pkwy location.
 
Snyder said she was then moved to the 55 South Valle Verde Drive location in Henderson, which had an eviction notice sign taped to the front door.
 
The same went for the 615 North Stephanie location, where Delany Boyle worked.
 
“Not the last paycheck that I got, but the one that made me leave, it was like two weeks late,” Boyle said. “I was like, okay no. This isn’t going to work for me. I also have a child at home. I have bills to pay.” 
 
According to a document 8 News Now obtained, Lawrence owed more than $16,000 in rent as of April 30, at the 2654 Horizon Ridge Parkway location in Henderson.

The Nevada State Board of Cosmetology’s website showed several Fantastic Sams locations also closed as a result of operating a salon with an expired license.
 
Boyle said that when employees warned her about problems, she’d brush it off.
 
“Like whenever we had an answer to something, [she’d say] ‘that’s so weird. That’s not the information I’m getting.’ Like, we weren’t going to look into it,” Boyle said.
 
Around 20 employees were impacted as a result of the closures, according to Snyder and Boyle.

8 News Now tried reaching out to Lawrence but she didn’t respond to 8 News Now’s inquiries.
 
We weren’t the only ones, however.
 
A letter the Nevada Office of the Labor Commissioner sent to Delany Boyle stated that they couldn’t even locate Lawrence to help former employees collect unpaid wages.
 
Snyder said she plans to take Jaymee Lawrence to small claims court for her unpaid wages.

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