19 Nabbed in Phony Contractor Sting in South Lake Tahoe

A simultaneous sting operation between the California State License Board and the Nevada Contractors License Board snared 11 people on the California side of South Lake Tahoe and 8 on the Nevada side on Wednesday.

Named the "Border Blitz," the sting was conducted at a SLT single family home near the Hwy 89 and Hwy 50 intersection (the "Y")and at a condominium in Stateline, NV. Investigators from the CSLB and NCLB posed as homeowners seeking bids for various projects that included exterior painting, deck work, landscaping, and other tasks requiring general "B" contractor skills.

Those cited in SLT, CA (along with the license needed to do the work they were bidding for along with the alleged violation):

Todd Raymond Kubicka from Gardnerville, NV - B - General License - Contracting without a license, Illegal advertising

Aston Zane Wilcox from South Lake Tahoe, CA - C33 - Painting and Decorating License - Contracting without a license, Illegal advertising, Displaying a license not issued to him

Robert Martin Avila from South Lake Tahoe, CA - C33 - Painting and Decorating - Contracting without a license, Illegal advertising

Roy Franklin Johnson from Zephyr Cove, NV - B - General - Contracting without a license, Illegal advertising

Gary Thomas Phillips, Sr. from South Lake Tahoe, CA - C33 - Painting and Decorating - Contracting without a license, Illegal advertising

Juvenal Loayza-Baca from Carson City, NV - B - General - Contracting without a license

Charles Wayne Smith from Tahoe City, CA - C33 - Painting and Decorating - Contracting without a license, Illegal advertising

Prisciliano Perez-Peralta from Carson City, NV - B - General - Contracting without a license, Illegal advertising

Edward Joseph Jachimiak from Stateline, NV - C33 - Painting and Decorating - Contracting without a license, Illegal advertising

Todd Richard Hall from South Lake Tahoe, CA - C33 - Painting and Decorating - Contracting without a license

Thomas Howard Cook - B - General - Contracting without a license,Illegal advertising

Those cited in Stateline, NV with the work class bidding on and alleged violation):

Eric Moehlman South Shore Plumbing & Heating (licensed in CA, not NV) - Painting - Contracting without a license, Advertising without a license

Joe Luis Du’Bon-Perez of Alpha Builders (licensed in CA, not NV) - masonry - Contracting without a license, Advertising without a license

Lawrence Riley of Riley Plumbing (licensed in CA, not NV) - plumbing - Contracting without a license

Michael Hull - painting - Contracting without a license, Advertising without a license

Loren Allen - masonry - Contracting without a license, Advertising without a license

Paul Pasillas of Custom Tile Installation - tile - Contracting without a license, Advertising without a license

Michael Hasting - painting - Contracting without a license, Advertising without a license

Cynthia Graf of All Out Complete Property Services - painting - Contracting without a license, Advertising without a license

Hull is registered in Nevada as a sex offender.

All 11 suspects cited in California face misdemeanor charges of contracting without a license. Home improvement and construction jobs in California valued at $500 or more (combined labor and material costs) must be conducted by a company or person with a CSLB-issued license. Nine of the 11 were also cited on a misdemeanor charge of illegal advertising California law requires contractors to place their license number in all print, broadcast, and online advertisements. Those without a license can advertise for jobs valued at less than $500, but the ad must state that they are not a licensed contractor.

Nevada’s threshold for licensed contracting work is $1,000. All eight suspects caught in Stateline were cited for contracting without a license, and seven of them face an additional charge of advertising without a license. In Nevada, advertising contracting services without a license is illegal.

“This partnership is important in helping protect consumers from phony contractors, especially in areas near our joint border,” said CSLB Registrar Steve Sands said. “It doesn’t matter if someone is licensed in California, they can’t cross the border and work unless they have a Nevada license.” The three California licensed contractors could face CSLB discipline they’re convicted of contracting without a license in Nevada.

“Nevada and California have demonstrated a firm commitment to protecting our citizens from the risks presented by unlicensed contractors who often carry no insurance, are not bonded and have not demonstrated competence in the work they perform,” said Margi A. Grein, NSCB’s executive officer.

The men and woman arrested in California will answer charges in El Dorado County Superior Court and those arrested in Nevada will appear in the Tahoe Justice Court.