Nannies again 

Nannies again

Part of the Kerik coverage: maybe there was an actual nanny, or maybe he used his mother-in-law, and lied about an illegal nanny to cover up worse things.

Here's the kicker:

"He had to have known the status of his nanny," said Christine Sandrib, who has operated Nannies N More for 14 years. "If she's illegal, anybody in his position had to have known."

Like Christy Ann Bozanian, owner of A Better Nanny, Ms. Sandrib stressed that an agency was responsible for determining that any employee it placed was legal. Their own agencies require a green card or work authorization as well as a criminal background check. Both said the demand for legal, thoroughly vetted nannies had risen dramatically in recent years.

"In particular post 9/11, there's a greater concern about knowing who is in their home," Ms. Sandrib said. "This neighborhood is full of attorneys, physicians, people involved in politics at some sort of a level. They're not interested in illegal candidates. An educated person should know to ask for that." Paying Social Security taxes and workers' compensation is another story, they said. "I provide every family with information about payroll taxes, and the agency to call," Ms. Bozanian said. "What they do with that is up to them."

Ms. Sandrib estimated that 99 percent of nannies, legal or not, were paid off the books. They said that legal, agency-placed nannies commanded higher wages - about $450 a week for a live in, compared with as little as $275 for those without legal status.