Ohio Realtor Loses Her Job After Weaponizing a Trump-Fueled Deportation Threat Against a Local Server
Political agenda turns personal.
Ohio realtor Stephanie Lovins is out of a job after leaving a Trump-fueled deportation threat to a server on a restaurant receipt instead of a tip in 2025. According to VT, the incident happened at Cazuelas Mexican Restaurant & Cantina in Columbus, where Lovins allegedly scrawled, “ZERO (tips), YOU SUCK,” before adding, “I HOPE TRUMP DEPORTS YOU!!!” The note went viral, sparking outrage and a wave of support for the server she targeted.
Lovins, a 49-year-old from Blacklick, Ohio, was quickly identified as the woman behind the message. She had been affiliated with Century 21, but her profile vanished from the company’s website shortly after the receipt surfaced. Century 21 said, “We are aware of the situation with the agent in question. Hate has no place within the Century 21 brand, and we are taking this very seriously.”
The company later confirmed she was no longer associated with them, though it’s unclear if she was fired or had already left earlier in the year. The backlash was swift. Lovins’ social media accounts disappeared, and efforts to contact her or her husband have hit dead ends. She reportedly claimed her card was lost or stolen and used fraudulently, but restaurant staff said witnesses recognized her as the person who left the note.
That hasn’t stopped the internet from weighing in
Many users have called for accountability and others are rallying behind the server, Ricardo. Ricardo, who works just one Sunday shift a week while holding down a second job, was described by Cazuelas’ head of marketing Fabio Oribo as a “really good person” who didn’t deserve the abuse. Oribo told local media, “It’s just not right, just not right. He’s a hardworking employee who was simply doing his job.”
The public agreed – so much so that a GoFundMe campaign launched for Ricardo blew past its $1,000 goal, raising over $39,000 from supporters. Organizer Anna Overman said the fundraiser was meant to “drown out hate with love” and show solidarity with a worker who was unfairly targeted.
This isn’t the first time a server has been subjected to racist or politically charged vitriol over a tip. According to KTLA, in another incident in 2025, a Planet Hollywood server at Los Angeles International Airport received a receipt with the message, “No tip for illegal. Go back to Mexico.”
Guillermo Ortiz, who is Puerto Rican, said the note left him feeling rattled and disrespected. “I’m not even Mexican, I’m Puerto Rican, but my wife is Mexican – there’s no right to treat people like that,” he said. Ortiz, who has been a server since 2014, said this was the first time he’d experienced something so blatantly hateful.
These cases reflect how political rhetoric influences everyday interactions
Like Lovins’ note, Ortiz’s incident reflects a troubling trend where political rhetoric seeps into everyday interactions. Ortiz pointed to the current administration, saying, “This is happening because of what’s happening with President Trump right now. I think that’s the reason people are acting like this.”
The couple who left the note paid in cash, leaving no way to track them down. However, Ortiz said he reported the incident to management before the location closed for good. Both cases highlight how service workers, especially those in the restaurant industry, are increasingly vulnerable to harassment tied to immigration politics.
Servers rely on tips to make a living, and when customers weaponize that system to push personal or political agendas, it’s not just rude; it’s a direct attack on their livelihood. Ricardo’s GoFundMe success shows how quickly communities can step up to counter that hate, but the fact that these incidents keep happening is a sign of how normalized this kind of behavior has become.
For Lovins, the fallout was immediate
Beyond losing her job, she faced doxxing attempts, with a business sharing a similar name to her husband’s company wrongly targeted in the backlash. The owner of that business had to issue a public clarification to distance themselves from the controversy. Meanwhile, Lovins’ claims of fraud don’t hold up against witness accounts, leaving her with little defense as the internet’s court of opinion delivered its verdict.
The restaurant industry has always been a tough gig, but incidents like these make it even harder. Servers like Ricardo and Ortiz aren’t just dealing with long hours and demanding customers. They’re now navigating a landscape where a simple tip can turn into a political statement or a personal attack.
It’s a reminder that while politics might dominate headlines, their real-world impact often plays out in places like restaurant receipts, where the consequences are immediate and deeply personal. For now, Ricardo has the support of thousands who chipped in to make up for Lovins’ cruelty. Ortiz, on the other hand, is moving on after his location closed, but the memory of that receipt lingers.
Both stories underscore the same point: no one should have to endure hate just for doing their job. The question is, how many more servers will face the same treatment before the message finally sinks in?
(Featured image: Ron Lach on Pexels)
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