5 men charged with felonies for allegedly working as unlicensed contractors in Eaton fire burn scar area

Los Angeles County prosecutors have charged five men with felonies for allegedly working as unlicensed contractors in the Eaton fire burn scar and vowed to find and prosecute other workers trying to rebuild homes destroyed by the January wildfires without a license, officials announced Thursday, Dec. 11.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office accused the men of knowingly doing contract work without licenses during a natural disaster, a felony in California.

Property owners are drawn to unlicensed contractors after receiving insurance money because they often promise to rebuild their homes faster and cheaper than others, District Attorney Nathan Hochman said. Unlicensed contractors bring a greater risk of fraud, he said.

Homeowners can be sued for any injury workers experience on their property, and it would be difficult if not impossible to recover losses or damages from unlicensed contractors, who often aren’t insured, he said. Unlicensed contractors may ask for significant money upfront and then leave homeowners high and dry or do a faulty job that leads to higher costs and issues in the long run.

“There’s a reason it’s quick and there’s a reason it’s cheaper,” Hochman said, “because of all these risks that can occur.”

Undercover operatives will search the area for unlicensed contractors in an effort to weed them out, he said.

“Get the heck out of our community, all you unlicensed contractors,” Hochman said.

L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents Altadena, said residents should turn to official lists of vetted contractors when planning to rebuild.

The men are expected to be arraigned on Jan. 8, Hochman said.