SACRAMENTO — The Contractors State License Board (CSLB) has just completed simultaneous undercover sting operations in seven cities around the state. The stings were conducted by CSLB’s Statewide Investigative Fraud Team (SWIFT) over a two-day period (March 12-13). 175 people were arrested. Most will face misdemeanor charges or contracting without a license. 11 were taken to jail; five of them had arrest warrants. Others caught included an unregistered sex offender, a city worker who gave a bid during his lunch break, a man with a fake Social Security card, and another with a fake driver’s license. Three licensed contractors face possible administrative penalties for aiding and abetting unlicensed activity, in one instance allegedly “renting” his license to two men for $15,000 each.

SWIFT members posed as homeowners and invited suspected unlicensed operators to a sting location to bid on various construction jobs ranging from landscaping, fences and masonry to concrete, tile and painting. The purpose of these operations is to draw attention to the dangers to consumers who hire these phony contractors, to educate unlicensed workers about California laws, and to encourage those who qualify to get their contractors’ license.

The sting operations were conducted in El Dorado, Napa, Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino and San Diego and Tulare Counties. Joining the CSLB were various local law enforcement officials, the Fraud Division of the California Department of Insurance and the Department of Toxic Substances.

The people who showed up and bid more than $500 on contracting jobs were arrested and given “Notices to Appear” (NTA) before a Superior Court judge in about one month to answer to misdemeanor charges of contracting without a license and in many cases for illegal advertising as well. The charges carry a maximum of six months in jail or a $1,000 fine for the first offense. A second violation carries a mandatory 90-day jail sentence.

By law, all contractors who perform work that totals $500 or more (labor and materials) must be licensed by the CSLB. In addition, applicants undergo a background check and fingerprinting. “Many homeowners don’t realize the risk they take when they hire someone who is not licensed to do work in their home,” said CSLB Registrar Steve Sands. “What seems like a good deal almost always ends up costing a lot more. Many of these phony contractors are people you really don’t want inside your house or around your children.”

Because unlicensed operators don’t carry workers compensation insurance, they often submit lower bids on jobs. But, if one of their workers is injured on the job, the homeowner could be liable. Plus, if a deal goes bad with an unlicensed contractor, the homeowner has very few options.

The following are highlights from the enforcement operations:

Sting details of note from various locations: