A local medical supply company has been forced to close its doors, saying an ambulance company hasn't paid it for supplies in seven months.

Rick Mendoza was the owner of New Horizon Medical Supply, a company that did business with Dominion Ambulance located in South Central El Paso.

"The time that they stopped paying their supply costs was when they moved to a new location," Mendoza said.
"Everything was fine, they were paying their bills on time in the beginning, now I'm wondering what's really going on as far as them not paying me."

Dominion Ambulance has previously been raided by the FBI after allegations of medical fraud, although the results of that investigation are still pending.

Mendoza gave KFOX14 copies of the invoices he says show that Dominion owes him more than $4,000 dating back to June. KFOX14 also obtained personal emails sent between Mendoza and a manager from Dominion. In the emails, the manager promises Mendoza that payment is coming, and that the company just has to figure out some numbers on the invoices. But Mendoza says it has been months, and that payment never came.

"They kept telling me there's a check in the mail, the boss, Demetrius, is coming in on Thursday, he's gonna review it, he's gonna cut our checks, the checks are in the mail. I never got one," Mendoza said.

KFOX14 met with the manager from Dominion named in the emails to talk to him about the allegations. He told KFOX14 that he did not want to be recorded or identified in any way, that he didn't want any reporters on his property, and that he was going to get a lawyer involved in the process.

After being shown the invoices and emails, he told KFOX14 that Mendoza often inflated prices and they won't be paying him unless he can prove that the supplies were indeed dropped off and signed for.

"Sometimes I would deliver supplies and there was nobody there to sign for the supplies," Mendoza said.

But Dominion insists it is staffed 24/7, and that there would have always been somebody there to sign the paperwork. The manager tells KFOX14 that he is the person who signs "about 90 percent" of the paperwork.

Dominion's manager says they have written a check for New Horizon and will be sending it out soon, but Mendoza believes they are just saying that because the media has gotten involved.

"As soon as you contacted him yesterday, he did say he cut a check for one of the invoices," Mendoza said.

Even if Dominion ends up paying him the full amount, Mendoza tells KFOX14 his business with them is done.

"They did cause a lot of havoc, I am going to pursue other legal actions because I had to close down, and we had a lot of potential," Mendoza said.