More unlicensed contractors working after Hurricane Michael arrested in sting

News Herald (Panama City, FL)

Dec. 03--PANAMA CITY -- Sting operations in the wake of Hurricane Michael have yielded yet another batch of arrests of people attempting to perform contacting work without a license, according to official reports.

Eight more people were arrested in the past week on felony charges of contracting without a license. The arrests bring the total up to 22 local and out-of-state people offering services from roof repairs to electrical to construction work without the proper licensing. And authorities are urging the public to be patient and cautious when getting contractors to perform repairs to their storm-damaged homes.

The sting operations are part of a joint law enforcement Hurricane Fraud Task Force, which involves the State Attorney's Office, the Bay County Sheriff's Office and other local law enforcement agencies. Chief Assistant State Attorney Larry Basford said the task force has been well received by those on the right side of the law.

"Feedback has been positive from citizens as well as licensed contractors," he said. "These unlicensed contractors aren't happy, but our message to them is get a state license or be arrested and face aggressive prosecution."

Authorities are attempting to deter unlicensed contracting to prevent residents from being taken advantage of in desperate times. Some of the warning signs to be aware of are the absence of a license number on their vehicle, contractors only agreeing to a verbal contract, asking for large down payments, asking for the home owner to obtain a permit, advising the home owner that the job doesn't require a permit and the contractor not having proof of insurance.

Authorities encourage people to take pictures of organizations' names on their vehicles and of the contractors themselves. If they turn out to be illegitimate, investigators have a better chance of locating them and bringing charges.

Prosecutor Mark Graham said some people have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by contractors either taking a large payment upfront to then leave a job site prematurely or doing a shoddy job.

"We don't want victims of this storm to be victimized a second time," Graham said.

One of the most recent trends emerging is contractors asking for an assignment of insurance benefits. They ask for a signature to have insurance pay for a simple job and then the homeowner discovers they've assigned the entire repair to that one company. The contract typically requires the homeowner pay 20 percent of the job's total price if they want to get out of it.

Authorities have been trying to get on the front end of disaster fraud by staging various sting operations and deter fraudulent contractors.

Residents can also get a Department of Business and Professional (DBPR) app on their phone to quickly review whether a contractor is licensed. If they are technologically challenged, they can call the SAO, BCSO or DBPR and have them check a license.

The main message is for people to be patient, do research on contractors and shop around to gauge prices -- even if it seems like time does not permit.

"Our best hope is to send a message we're serious about these contractors," Basford said. "Either get a license or end up in jail."

Those arrested last week were Robert Shane Brown, 33, of Ohio; Augustin Rodriguez Moreno, 42, of Texas; Rodney Calhoun, 51, of Ohio; Joshua Tyler Hornsby, 26, of Georgia; Charles Ronald Miskelley, Jr., of Alabama, and Karla Judith Becerra-Fouali, 46, of Texas; Christopher Vanbemen, 49, of Bay County; and Geraldine Rinaldi, 57, of Bay County.