REDDING – During the second week of September 2018, investigators from the Contractors State License Board and the Shasta County District Attorney’s Office conducted an undercover fraudulent contractor sting operation. The operation took place in an area of Shasta County affected by the Carr Fire and targeted suspected unlicensed contractors.
“Victims of the Carr Fire have suffered enough and don’t need the added stress of unlicensed contractors bidding on their rebuilding or repair work,” said California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) President Alan Barcelona. “Thankfully CSLB and Shasta County DA investigators are taking a proactive approach to protect fire victims from possible financial harm.”
During the sting, nine individuals, including one parolee, were arrested and booked into the Shasta County Jail for Felony Contracting Without a License in a Designated Disaster Area.
The individuals arrested for felonies are:
- Gabriel Phillips,
- Patrick Tenerelli,
- Louis Hecker,
- Jason Goodman,
- Charles Guy Harris,
- Ty Williams Briggs,
- Melvin Matajcich,
- Samuel Shelby,
- Brandon Hunter.
Contracting without a license is normally a misdemeanor, but rises to the level of a felony when the contracting without a license involves a home damaged in a designated disaster area. A contractor’s license is required for any work valued at or over $500, including labor and material combined.
