Construction Contractors Board participates in multi-state sting to highlight consumer awareness on illegal construction activities

Oregon Construction Contractors Board (CCB), in cooperation with the National Association of Contractor Licensing Agencies (NASCLA) conducted simultaneous undercover construction stings with Arizona, California and Nevada state licensing agencies to alert consumers on the large numbers of illegal construction activities offered through electronic bulletin boards.
On June 14, 2012, CCB set up two undercover sting operations— the Portland metropolitan area and Medford.

“Oregon’s commitment to protecting consumers and level the playing field for legitimate contractors is critical in the agency mission,” says Craig P. Smith CCB Administrator. “Being united with other states helps build public confidence and trust.”
CCB field investigators largely targeted unlicensed contractors offering construction related services through ads posted on craigslist.org. CCB issued field proposed orders (FPO) for bidding and advertising construction work to 10 individuals in southern Oregon and 6 in in the Portland metro area. Several of the individuals contacted had prior CCB enforcement violations.

(Click here to see Unlicensed contractors busted in sting, by Shellie Bailey-Shah KATU Problem Solver).

Portland area:

• Jeramie Allen Armstrong. Two FPO’s issued for advertising without a license and for submitting a bid while unlicensed.
• Gary MacDonald. Two FPO’s issued for advertising without a license and for submitting a bid while unlicensed.
• Joshua Kane Martin. Two FPO’s issued for advertising without a license and for submitting a bid while unlicensed.
• Donald Casey Ross. Two FPO’s issued for advertising without a license and for submitting a bid while unlicensed.
• Arnold Nunez Chavez. One FPO issued for submitting a bid while unlicensed.
• Sitalingi O. Tovo. Two FPO’s issued for advertising without a license and for submitting a bid while unlicensed.

Medford area

• Timothy Joseph Weidrich. Two FPO’s issued for advertising without a license and for submitting a bid while unlicensed.
• James Leroy Halstead. Two FPO’s issued for advertising without a license and for submitting a bid while unlicensed.
• Donald Calvin Brown. Two FPO’s issued for advertising without a license and for submitting a bid while unlicensed.
• Christopher Paul Stanley. Two FPO’s issued for advertising without a license and for submitting a bid while unlicensed.
• Rickey James Rosenthal. Two FPO’s issued for advertising without a license and for submitting a bid while unlicensed.
• Richard Bert Cowan. Two FPO’s issued for advertising without a license and for submitting a bid while unlicensed.
• James Marty Miller. Two FPO’s issued for advertising without a license and for submitting a bid while unlicensed.
• Gerald Arthur Hugley. Two FPO’s issued for advertising without a license and for submitting a bid while unlicensed.
• Robert Jay Conrad. Two FPO’s issued for advertising without a license and for submitting a bid while unlicensed.
• Ray Boyd Qualls, Two FPO’s issued for advertising without a license and for submitting a bid while unlicensed.

Additionally, the multi-state undercover sting led to 100 arrests in California, 23 citations in Nevada and 15 investigations in Arizona.

The Arizona sting led to 15 unlicensed contractor investigations. The ROC routinely refers unlicensed contracting cases to the Maricopa County Attorney’s office for prosecution.

Arizona Registrar Bill Mundell said, “Joining with three other western states in conducting this unlicensed contractor sting was a historic event. This combined effort demonstrates our shared commitment to protecting honest people from the harm caused by unlicensed contractors. In order to protect Arizonans we have and will vigorously enforce the unlicensed contractor laws.”

The California sting led to the arrest of 100 suspects. Three-quarters were identified from craigslist ads. One suspect is a convicted murderer; two others are registered sex offenders. All suspects now face a variety of misdemeanor charges, including contracting without a license and illegal advertising.

California Registrar Steve Sands said, “Craigslist serves as a valuable tool to legitimately licensed and insured contractors,offering them a free advertising vehicle to connect with consumers. Unfortunately,hundreds if not thousands of unlicensed or unscrupulous contractors are breaking the law every day by posting deceptive or illegal ads and craigslist has done little to address the issue.”

The Nevada sting led to issuing 23 citations to craigslist users for advertising without the appropriate contractor’s license. Nevada Executive Officer Margi A. Grein said, “Contracting without a contractor’s license is a serious offense, which ultimately increases a homeowner’s risk and liability when having work performed on their home. The opportunity to team up with other states to educate consumers on ways to protect themselves and demonstrate a unified zero-tolerance stance on the issue is invaluable and one that we hope to initiate again in the future.”

The NASCLA goal of the national sting operation was to bring the western states together through a united partnership to combat illegal construction activities and bring consumer awareness to the forefront. Along with showing the positive impact that the contractor state licensing boards are displaying and the efforts they are taking to protect the public. NASCLA President, Craig Smith, stated that “Non- licensed contractors are a danger to consumers and give the construction industry a black eye. NASCLA congratulates the fine work of the state investigators that participated in this enforcement effort.”

Protecting Oregonians
The CCB strongly encourages consumers to verify a contractor is actively licensed. Consumers can easily check the license and complaint history at CCB’s consumer friendly website: www.hirealicensedcontractor.com; the CCB agency site www.oregon.gov/CCB or by calling 503-378-4621.

Licensed contractors in Oregon have a bond and insurance which offer some financial protections if something were to go wrong. Homeowners can get help resolving construction-related disputes within a year from the time the work was substantially completed or the work stopped. These protections are only available if the contractor is licensed with the CCB.

“It’s important to take the steps available to protect ourselves,” says Gina Fox, CCB Public Information Officer. “Whether consumers shop for a contractor on the internet or someone shows up on their doorstep, verify the license first.”

Other important tips include:

• Get more than one bid. Getting more than one bid can help you “get a feel” for what your project should cost. The old saying “you get what you pay for” generally applies here. A higher bid may be worth the price in better materials, workmanship and reliability.
• Get it in writing. One of the best ways to avoid construction disputes is negotiate and follow a well-written construction contract. Most construction disputes can be traced back to the parties’ failure to write, understand, and follow a well-written contract.

Consumers can find more tips on having a successful construction project at either website.

The CCB is a state agency licensing more than 38,000 contractors. Anyone who is paid to repair, improve or build a home must be licensed by the CCB. Consumers can verify a contractor’s license and find information for successful projects. Information is also available by calling 503-378-4621.

Other state contact information:

Arizona: Tyler Palmer
(602) 771-6710
tyler.palmer@azroc.gov
www.azroc.gov

California: Rick Lopes
(916) 255-4161
Rick.Lopes@cslb.ca.gov
www.clsb,ca.gov

Nevada: Jennifer Turner
(702) 486-1139
jturner@nscb.state.nv.us
www.nscb.nv.gov

NASCLA: Angie Whitaker, Executive Director
National Association of State Contractors Licensing Agencies (NASCLA)
(623) 587-9354
www.nascla.org