Unlicensed Contractors Charged for Wildfire Burn Zone Work

Five men have been charged with engaging in unlicensed contracting work in the Eaton fire burn zone.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced charges Thursday against the unlicensed contractors in connection with illegally offering services or restoring homes and properties in Altadena, LAist reported. Hochman asserted that unlicensed contractors might promise to rebuild burned homes faster and cheaper, but in hiring them, homeowners could face faulty workmanship, liability for worker injuries and sometimes even theft.

“This increases the likelihood of fraud,” Hochman said in a news conference after the charges were filed. “You’re going to give them a whole bunch of money upfront, and you may never see them again.”

Four separate complaints from the district attorney allege that Daniel Escarzaga, Andrew Escarzaga, Edgar Geovanni Lopez Revolorio, Melvin Hairon Mejia Ordonez and Guillermo Ramirez were contracting without licenses during a natural disaster — a felony violation of California’s business and professions code. Hochman said an investigation found that the men knew they were operating without a license but offered their services to fire victims anyway.

“Get the heck out of our community, unlicensed contractors,” Hochman said, per NBC Los Angeles. “These folks are not insured… If something goes wrong during this construction process and you want to go after their insurance, they have no insurance to go after.”

L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents Altadena, urged homeowners to use vetted lists of licensed contractors as they plan their rebuilding efforts. “Hiring unlicensed contractors often ends up costing more in the long run,” she said.

During a wildfire state of emergency, unlicensed contractors and contractor fraud could result in three years in prison or a $10,000 fine, according to Hochman. The five men are expected to be arraigned in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Jan. 8.

Jan. 7 marks one year since the deadly Eaton and Palisades fires ripped across both eastern and western portions of Los Angeles County. Unincorporated portions of the county, which include Altadena, have had 990 building permits issued, according to the state’s permitting progress dashboard, while the City of Pasadena has issued 15 so far. The City of Los Angeles, which includes the Pacific Palisades, has handed out 1,222 rebuild permits, and the neighboring City of Malibu has issued 20.

— Chris Malone Méndez