Posted: 07/02/2013 10:43:28 AM PDT
Updated: 07/02/2013 10:54:12 AM PDT
By Larry Altman Staff Writer
dailybreeze.com

Investigators with the Contractors State License Board and sheriff's deputies posed as homeowners, but quickly arrested the men when they failed to show proper licensing or violated other contracting rules, authorities said. | POLICE NEWS

The agents invited contractors they found in Craigslist ads to the house, asking for prices for work on flooring, concrete, fencing, tree trimming and garage doors.

California requires that contractors hold licenses for jobs totaling $500 or more in labor and material costs. Illegal contractors put legitimate, tax-paying contractors at a competitive disadvantage, officials said.

During a June 19 sting, two of the three suspects offered to perform flooring work and were arrested on suspicion of contracting without a license.

They were identified as Julio Armando Escobar of Inglewood and Jesus Danny Hernandez of Anaheim. Asaf Steren of Sherman Oaks, who works on doors and gates, was arrested on suspicion of being an unregistered salesman and asking for an excessive down payment. A legal down payment is limited to 10 percent of the cost or $1,000, whichever is less.

During a sting at the same location May 7, police arrested two suspects -- Tomas Nieto Mondragon, 63, of Los Angeles and Jose M. Araya Cardenas, 49, of Hawthorne -- who had been busted in earlier sting operations.

Although investigators usually try to create gaps in time between arriving contractors, one -- Israel Herrera Nunez, 38, of Gardena -- encountered Marcus Malouf-Claxton, 19, of La Palma as he was being processed by officers for several alleged contracting violations. Malouf-Claxton tried to warn Nunez, but an investigator told Nunez that Malouf-Claxton was under arrest for an unrelated offense.

Convinced, Nunez provided the undercover investigators with a bid for concrete work, was cited, and was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents because of his residence status, authorities said.

Arrested on May 7 were:

Flooring contractor Javier Vargas Lucas of Artesia, on suspicion of contracting without a license, asking for an excessive down payment, illegal advertising and not having workers' compensation

Mondragon, who offered flooring work, on suspicion of contracting without a license.

Flooring contractor Zvonimir V. Nikolic of Whittier, on suspicion of contracting without a license, asking for an excessive down payment, illegal advertising and making an excessive bid.

Melo Ahoia, a fencing contractor from Long Beach, on suspicion of contracting without a license, asking for an excessive down payment, making an excessive bid and illegal advertising.

Jose M. Araya Cardenas, a painting and decorating contractor from Hawthorne, on suspicion of contracting without a license and illegal advertising.

Oscar Humberto Sermeno, a painter and decorator from Gardena, on suspicion of contracting without a license and illegal advertising.

Malouf-Claxton, a painting and decorating contractor, on suspicion of contracting without a license and illegal advertising.

Nunez, a concrete contractor, on suspicion of contracting without a license.

A first-time conviction for contracting without a license can result in up to six months in jail and up to a $5,000 fine.

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