When state investigators went undercover in Napa posing as homeowners  and put out the word they were in need of home repair work, they had no shortage of people supplying bids, including 19 people who were quickly busted on charges of contracting without a license.  One of those 19 is a sex offender who threw his paperwork in an investigator’s face and ran.

If you want a good look at what investigators with the Contractors State License Board (CSLB) do, check out the CSLB video of their summer blitz.

“These California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) members are a part of CSLB’s Statewide Investigative Fraud Team, or SWIFT, and they are creating quite a name for themselves,” said CSLEA President Alan Barcelona.  “Here’s the deal, they work on a daily basis trying to keep guys like that sex offender from working inside the homes of unsuspecting consumers who may not know enough to check CSLB’s website for contractors who are checked out by the State of California.”

During the two day sting July 30-31, 2013,  investigators sought bids for painting, concrete, landscaping, HVAC, plumbing and demolition work.  They contacted bogus contractors through business cards and ads online.