Click
Here For More Local News
2011
VSABA Christmas Parade photos
Brian
Gross being placed under arrest by the
state license board’s Statewide Investigative Fraud Team.
Valley
Springs man arrested in consumer fraud sting operation
Brian Gross, 48, of Valley Springs, is back
in the Amador County jail, this time with no bail. Gross was one of 10
people allegedly caught in Contractors State License Board undercover
sting operation Jan. 19 at a Pine Grove home.
The sting was also conducted with
investigators from the Amador County District Attorney’s office.
Gross is no stranger to the state license board’s Statewide
Investigative Fraud Team, known as SWIFT. SWIFT investigators and the
Amador County District Attorney’s office arrested Gross on Oct. 1,
2010. He pleaded guilty to one felony count of fraudulent use of a
contractor license number and one misdemeanor count of failing to
purchase workers’ compensation insurance for employees on March 2,
2011. He was sentenced May 5, 2011, to four years felony probation.
In addition, the license board revoked his general contractor
license on June 1, 2010, for failure to pay administrative citations
issued for asking for excessive down payments, failing to secure
building permits, and other violations of contracting law. State law
prohibits asking for or receiving a down payment larger than 10 percent
of the contract price or $1,000, whichever is less.
Investigators, posing as homeowners, sought bids for general
construction and painting projects at a Pine Grove multi-level house on
seven acres. The 10 who reportedly bid more than the legal threshold of
$500 for labor and materials will appear in court for contracting
without a license. They will face an additional misdemeanor charge for
illegal advertising. State law requires contractors to place their
license number in all advertisements. Those who do home improvement jobs
valued at less than $500 may advertise, but their ads must state that
they are not a licensed contractor.
The nine other suspects who received notices to appear March 19
in Amador County Superior Court are Ruben Cervantes Ayala, 44,
Placerville; Matthew Martin Pederson, 28, Rancho Cordova; Kenneth Jerell
McCloud, 65, Pioneer; Richard Paul Reinoehl, 60, Pine Grove; Luis
Fernando Leyva-Martinez, 36, Placerville; Benjamin Joseph Smith, 22,
Pine Grove; Steven David Garrett, 53, Sutter Creek, and Kenneth Lawrence
Griffin, 53, Pine Grove.
“Hopefully Mr. Gross and the others caught at the Pine Grove
sting get the message that CSLB and the Amador County DA’s office take
the state’s consumer protection laws very seriously,” said CSLB
Registrar Steve Sands. “California homeowners considering hiring a
contractor should review Ten Tips to Make Sure Your Contractor Measures
Up to familiarize themselves with contracting laws and their rights as
consumers. Before signing a contract, they should consult CSLB’s
online instant license check to ensure the contractor has a valid
license and workers’ compensation insurance if they have employees.”
The license board website is at www.cslb.ca.gov.
Publish your legal ad -
starting at
$6.00
per col. inch.
Fictitious
Business Name | Foreclosures | Bankruptcies | Notice of Default
Change of Names | Summons | Lien Sales
etc.
For further info, please call or email.
209-772-2234 info@valleyspringsnews.com
Map
