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CSLB Takes On Unlicensed Contractors in Tulare County

19 cited on illegal contracting charges, required to appear in court after two-day Visalia sting

SACRAMENTO – Hoping to deal a blow to illegal contracting in the Visalia-Tulare area, investigators with the Contractors State License Board (CSLB) snared 19 persons who were impersonating licensed contractors during a two-day sting operation June 29-30, 2016.

CSLB’s Statewide Investigative Fraud Team (SWIFT) staged the operation at a single-family home near El Diamonte High School in southwest Visalia. Investigators from the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office (DA) and Visalia Police Department officers lent assistance.

SWIFT investigators first put together a contact list of suspected unlicensed contractors working in the area – drawn from online advertising websites, a local newspaper, business cards and internal files – and invited them to submit bids on home improvement “projects” at the home.

Posing as homeowners, investigators sought estimates for a concrete driveway, exterior painting, tree removal, a new fence, wood flooring, and garage door installation. The highest bid came in at $4,500 – considerably more than the legal limit of $500 or more in construction materials and/or labor before a California contractor license is required.

Over the two-day sting, SWIFT investigators cited 19 persons whose bids exceeded the state cap for contracting without a state license (Business and Professions Code (BPC) section (§) 7028). Of those persons cited, 16 face an additional misdemeanor charge of illegal advertising (BPC §7027.1) for failing to state in their advertising that they were not licensed. In addition to those charges, three men were cited for not having workers’ compensation insurance, three for demanding excessive down payments (BPC § 7159.5), and another was caught for displaying a contractor license that did not belong to him.

First-conviction penalties for contracting without a license include up to six months in jail and/or up to $5,000 in fines. Penalties are more severe with each successive violation. A second conviction carries a mandatory sentence of 90 days in jail.

Two of the suspects are well known by CSLB. An unlicensed contracting case against Oscar Burton Bingham III of Tulare arising out of a 2015 homeowner complaint to CSLB has been referred to the Tulare County DA for criminal prosecution. Stephen Richard Brown of Fresno was previously caught in a 2015 CSLB sting and is facing misdemeanor illegal contracting charges relating to that case.

CSLB Registrar Cindi Christenson said the sting reinforces CSLB’s message that consumers considering a construction or home improvement project need to check CSLB’s website for contractor hiring how-to’s and to verify the license status of a bidder – or lack of it.

“To earn a license, a contractor must prove they have four years of recent, relevant experience under their belt, and pass a pair of tests,” Christenson said. “They also are required to undergo a criminal background check, be bonded, and carry workers’ comp insurance for any worker they bring to the job. You can be much more confident that job will be done right, by someone you trust inside your home.”

Those cited are scheduled to appear 8:30 a.m. September 1, 2016, in Tulare County Superior Court, 221 So. Mooney Blvd., Visalia, CA 93291 (MAP).

NOTE: All suspects are presumed innocent until their case is resolved.

VISALIA DAY 1
SUSPECT NAME CITY OF RESIDENCE	LICENSE CLASSIFICATION	ALLEGED VIOLATION
Adrian Sifuentes Visalia	C-33 – Painting and Decorating	Contracting without a license, Illegal advertising, No workers’ compensation insurance
Joey Georgeann Olsen Porterville	C-8 – Concrete	Contracting without a license
Joseph Marshall Clovis	C-61/D-49 – Tree Service	Contracting without a license, Illegal advertising
Freddie Elijah Cavasos Tulare	C-33 – Painting and Decorating	Contracting without a license, Illegal advertising
Luis Albert Guzman Visalia	C-61/D-49 – Tree Service	Contracting without a license, Illegal advertising
Ysidro Arthur Alvarez Visalia	C-33 – Painting and Decorating	Contracting without a license, Illegal advertising
Steven Robinson Tulare	C-61/D-49 – Tree Service	Contracting without a license, Illegal advertising
Douglas Prillwitz Visalia	C-13 – Fencing	Contracting without a license, Illegal advertising
Margrito Rodriguez Alcaraz Tulare	C-8 – Concrete	Contracting without a license, Illegal advertising, Displaying a license not belonging to him
Christopher Neal Dart Lemoore	C-33 – Painting and Decorating	Contracting without a license, Illegal advertising

VISALIA DAY 2
SUSPECT NAME CITY OF RESIDENCE	LICENSE CLASSIFICATION	ALLEGED VIOLATION
Vincent Abrego Tulare	C-13 – Fencing	Contracting without a license, Illegal advertising, Excessive down payment
Jose Esquivel Espinoza Porterville	C-61/D-28 – Doors, Gates and Activating Devices	Contracting without a license, Illegal advertising, Excessive down payment
Gary Elgard Bucholz Sanger	C-15 – Flooring and Floor Covering	Contracting without a license, Illegal advertising
Stephen Richard Brown Fresno	C-13 – Fencing	Contracting without a license, Illegal advertising, No worker’s compensation insurance
David Schreiber Visalia	C-61/D-28 – Doors, Gates and Activating Devices	Contracting without a license, Illegal advertising
Oscar Burton Bingham III Tulare	C-13 – Fencing	Contracting without a license, Illegal advertising, No worker’s compensation insurance
Michael Owen Driscoll Exeter	C-33 – Painting and Decorating	Contracting without a license, Illegal advertising
Antonio Gamboa Porterville	C-13 – Fencing	Contracting without a license, Illegal advertising
Federico Gonzalez Zamarripa Tulare	C-8 – Concrete	Contracting without a license, Illegal advertising, No worker’s compensation insurance

CSLB urges all California consumers to follow these tips before hiring a home improvement contractor:

• Verify the contractor's license online at www.cslb.ca.gov or www.CheckTheLicenseFirst.com, or via CSLB’s automated phone system at 1-800-321-CSLB (2752)
• Ask to see a photo identification to verify the contractor’s identity
• Don't pay more than 10 percent down or $1,000, whichever is less
• Don't pay in cash, or let the payments get ahead of the work
• Get at least three bids and insist on a written contract before your project begins

Visit CSLB’s website for more tips about how to hire a contractor and to sign up for CSLB Email Alerts.

The Contractors State License Board operates under the umbrella of the California Department of Consumer Affairs. CSLB licenses and regulates almost 290,000 contractors in California, and is regarded as one of the leading consumer protection agencies in the United States. In fiscal year 2014-15, CSLB helped recover nearly $68 million in ordered restitution for consumers.

 

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