Six people have been charged with contracting without a license after allegedly trying to solicit business in neighborhoods devastated by the deadly January 2025 Palisades Fire, following an undercover sting set up by state investigators.
“We’re hoping this warning message gets through. Stay out of L.A. County, or else we are going to methodically go after you,” District Attorney Nathan Hochman told NBC4 Investigates during a visit to the Palisades Tuesday.
“At the beginning of the the fires, it was looters, arsonists, people impersonating first responders, price gouging,” Hochman said.
“But now as we get into the reconstruction period, unfortunately having to deal with unlicensed contractors.”
Prosecutors filed the felony cases following arrests in April and June.
All six of the individuals charged appeared in court last week; the LA County District Attorney’s Office said three of them entered not guilty pleas.
According to the criminal complaints each of the six targeted emergency victims whose properties were damaged or destroyed by the fire, which broke out Jan. 7, 2025 in a powerful Santa Ana windstorm in the coastal Los Angeles County community. More than 6,800 homes and other buildings were destroyed in the 23,000-acre fire, leaving residents displaced and facing a lengthy cleanup and rebuilding process.
The charges stem from investigations by the Contractors State License Board’s Statewide Investigative Fraud Team, which reviewed online advertisements offering construction services. The ads did not provide contractor license numbers, as required by California law, according to prosecutors.
Investigators contacted the phone numbers listed in the ads and arranged appointments in April to bid on construction work, including ADUs, demolition, grading and other projects, in Pacific Palisades. A state of emergency order by the governor’s office was in effect for the community at the time of the alleged violations.
In each case listed in the criminal complaint, the suspects provided estimates for the proposed work, prosecutors said. Reviews of CSLB records for both the business names and the individual listed in the ads showed no results for a contractor’s license or applications submitted to the agency, according to court documents.
“The Contractors State License Board (CSLB) mission is to protect consumers and remains firmly committed to combatting unlicensed activity and helping wildfire survivors as they recover and rebuild,” it said in a statement Tuesday.
“The recent sting and charges by the DA in the Palisades fire area follows a December enforcement effort that led to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filing felony charges against five unlicensed contractors in Altadena,” the CSLB said.
“In both areas, the stings uncovered unlicensed contractors engaging in projects with homeowners worth significant amounts of money. “
Contracting without a license in connection with a natural disaster is a felony and carries maximum penalties of three years imprisonment and/or a fine of up to $10,000.
Hochman said there are several risks involved with hiring an unlicensed builder. While the bid for a job might initially be lower, but unlicensed builders cannot obtain permits, which might make insuring a property impossible.
“They could ask for huge upfront money,” Hochman said. “They can walk away from your projects. They don’t have licensing or insurance. Anybody gets injured during the project, that’s on you because they’re not paying workman’s comp insurance.”
In the Altadena sting five unlicensed contractors were charged with illegally operating after the January 2025 Eaton Fire, which broke out hours after the Palisades Fire.
Twelve people died in the Palisades Fire, the third-most destructive wildfire on record in California.
Last week, the federal arson trial over the Palisades Fire ended in a mistrial. Jurors were divided 10-2 in favor of finding 30-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht not guilty of three federal arson charges for allegedly causing a New Year’s Day fire that grew into the Palisades Fire days later.
A new trial was scheduled for Oct. 19. Rinderknecht will remain in custody.
California licensed contractor resources
Under California law, licensed contractors are required to provide a state-issued CSLB license number, which can be checked here.
Click here to find a licensed contractor in California.
Unlicensed contracting can be reported here.