Page 4 - Florida Sentinel 6-26-18

Local
‘Operation Bring Down House’ Targets Unlicensed Contractors
Last week, detectives con- cluded an investigation into unlicensed contractors with the arrest of several individu- als. The investigation was la- beled, “Operation Bring Down The House.”
According to police, be- tween May 2018 and June 2018, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Construction Fraud Unit detectives, the in- vestigation took place between May and June 2018.
Over a three-week period, 91 suspected unlicensed con- tractors were contacted from various Internet sources and complaints. The searches in- cluded popular websites such as Craig’s List, Yelp, Facebook, and Porch.
Fifteen suspects were ar- rested during the operation, and charges are pending on an additional five suspects.
During the operation, de- tectives received immediate estimates to provide regulated construction services by unli- censed contractors.
Additionally, the majority of these suspects attempted to make their services more en- ticing by offering to complete the work without the required building permits.
The Florida Building Code requires a person(s) involved in building, improving, and/or demolition of a public or pri- vate building or structure to first obtain the corresponding contractor license for the scope of the work to be com- pleted.
Detectives said unlicensed contractors can be appealing because they can offer services
PAUL GERARD GORDON
CHARLES RICHARD BATES
JAY GORDON SCHLOTTMAN, JR.
at a lesser cost. However, the unlicensed contractor is not regulated, their work and the materials used may be sub- standard, they provide no warranty, and the work is done without the required permits and inspections. These scenarios can cause costly repairs, code violations, and other liabilities.
Contract totals for the 15 suspects arrested were $110,250. Contract totals for the 5 suspects pending charges were $65,743.
ALBERTO ELFI
DAVID LAWRENCE FICKEY
JOSE RAFAEL ECHAVARRIA-CALDERON
TAEK SU KIM
Two of the individuals, William Moore and Don- ald Tucker, were involved in a previous HCSO sting opera- tion.
ANDREW BARRETT
DONALD EDWARD TUCKER
JOSE NABOR JAIMES
WILLIAM LEONARD MOORE
Paul Gordon has eight previous charges of unlicensed contracting in Hillsborough and Pinellas County.
The ages of those arrested ranged from 22 to 72-years- old. Those taken into custody were:
Alberto Elfi, 72, charged with contracting without a li- cense;
Andrew Barrett, 46, doing business as Andrew Handyman Services, was charged with contracting with- out a license;
Brian Joseph Will- iams, 38, doing business as The Honey Do Crew, was charged with contracting with- out a license;
Charles Richard Bates,
30, doing business as That’s My Guy, was charged with contracting without a license;
David Lawrence Fickey, 31, doing business as Dave Does It All, was charged with contracting without a li- cense
Donald Edward Tucker, 55, doing business as Rent A Husband, Rent A Handyman, was charged with contracting without a license;
Abdiel Gutierrez-Gar- cia, 22, doing business as A-Z Home Solutions, was charged
BRIAN JOSEPH WILLIAMS
ABDIEL GUTIERREZ-GARCIA
LANCE S. BRADY
WILMER YANER
with contracting without a li- cense;
Jay Gordon Schlott- man, Jr., 40, doing business as The Riverview Handyman, was charged with contracting without a license;
Jose Rafael Echavar- ria-Calderon, 29, doing business as JE Clear Pools, was charged with contracting without a license;
Jose Nabor Jaimes, 48, doing business as Jaimes Handyman Services, was charged with contracting with- out a license;
Lance S. Brady, 50, doing business as Lance’s Home Remodeling, was charged with contracting with- out a license;
Paul Gerard Gordon,
49, doing business as 813 Handyman, was charged with contracting without a license (repeat offender);
Taek Su Kim, 61, doing business as Kim’s Plumbing, was charged with contracting without a license;
William Leonard Moore, 57, was charged with contracting without a license;
andWilmer Yaner, 39, doing business as Handyman Remodeling LLC, was charged with contracting without a li- cense.
PAGE 4 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, JUNE 26, 2018