11 unlicensed contractors busted in Shasta County sting

Eleven unlicensed contractors were targeted in a sting operation in Shasta County this month  by the a state licensing board.

One suspected unlicensed contractor already had multiple complaints filed about him with the Shasta County District Attorney's Office.

The contractors face charges of illegal advertising and not having workers’ compensation insurance, along with not being licensed.

The sting focused on people advertising for work on Craigslist, Yelp and Thumbtack, as well as classified ads and a referral from the Shasta County District Attorney’s Office.

Investigators from the California Contractors State License Board conducted the sting at a home near Central Valley High School in Shasta Lake on June 14.

Investigators invited suspected unlicensed contractors to make bids for home improvement work. 

One contractor, Ronny Martin, was eager to collect a down payment for a job to replace turf at the home.

Martin already had multiple complaints filed about him with the District Attorney's Office for allegedly taking down payments and never doing the work, according to the statement.

Martin bid to replace backyard turf for $3,600 and was willing to accept all the money up front. California law limits down payments to 10 percent of a contract price, or $1,000, whichever is less.

Investigators worked with the Shasta County District Attorney’s Office to conduct the sting operation, according to a statement released by the CSLB on Tuesday.

Bids ranged from $1,000 to almost $9,000, far above the $500 amount allowed by law without a state-issued contractor’s license.

Eleven of the contractors received notices to appear in court to face charges of contracting without a license.

An unlicensed contractor who bids for home improvement work that totals $500 or more in labor and/or materials is a misdemeanor.

Eight of the 11 suspected contractors face additional misdemeanor charges for illegal advertising. State law requires all contractors include their license number in every advertisement or state they are unlicensed.

Two of the 11 were cited for not carrying workers’ compensation insurance policies for their employees. They were issued stop orders, according to the statement.

On June 15, investigators went through 37 active construction sites in Redding — 27 residential and 10 commercial.

A majority of the contractors were properly licensed but two received notices — one for contracting without a license and the other for not carrying workers’ compensation insurance.

Two licensed workers’ compensation cases were referred to the DA’s Office for prosecution and all three of the licensees received stop orders.

The contractors cited were: Eric Olaf Jannsen, Brent Small, Hugo Romero, David Thomas Evans, Saxton David Seely, Nicholas Adam Haprer, Dean Simone, Ronny Martin and Stephen Earl Baker, all from Redding; and  Ignacio Moreno-Patino is listed from Anderson and Christopher Hernandez is from Weaverville.They are scheduled to appear in court Aug. 21.

Ignacio Moreno-Patino is listed from Anderson and Christopher Hernandez is from Weaverville.