SACRAMENTO, CA – As the result of the Contractors State License Board (CSLB) investigation, a Stanislaus County judge has sentenced an unlicensed contractor to jail and probation and ordered him to pay nearly $284,000 in restitution to the homeowner victimized.
Adam Marcus Soares was sentenced to 10 days in county jail and one year of probation on March 20 after Soares entered a plea of no contest to one count of contracting without a license.
This sentencing closes a case that began with an August 2020 consumer complaint to CSLB. Soares completed the interior remodeling job with the help of eight unlicensed subcontractors, but the homeowner decided to stop making payments after discovering that some of the work had not been built to applicable codes. Soares operated a business known as Marcus Renee Designs and represented himself as a commercial and residential designer and builder despite not having a contractor’s license.
CSLB’s investigation into the complaint revealed findings of financial injury to the consumer in the amount of nearly $222,000.
Expert inspection of the property determined that the value Soares provided on the project was less than half of what the victim paid and repairing the property to industry standards would cost over $173,690.
In February 2021, CSLB referred the investigation to the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office (DA’s Office) for criminal prosecution, and in May of that year the DA’s Office filed the case in Stanislaus Superior Court.
Stanislaus County Deputy District Attorney Amy Neumann, who prosecuted the case, stated, “We are pleased that Mr. Soares was held accountable for falsely representing himself as possessing construction skills and expertise to vulnerable consumers.”
CSLB Registrar David Fogt cautions that unlicensed contractors pose a threat to consumers by failing to demonstrate minimum experience qualifications by obtaining a contractor’s license. Some unlicensed contractors illegally request excessive down payments for construction or landscaping projects and frequently fail to begin or complete projects once they receive money.
Consumers are often unaware unlicensed contractors have not completed background checks and usually do not carry workers’ compensation insurance for their employees – which increases liability risks to consumers.
About CSLB: CSLB operates under the umbrella of the Department of Consumer Affairs and licenses and regulates about 285,000 contractors in California.
Editors Note:
Repeat Unlicensed Contractor Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison
SACRAMENTO, CA – A Modesto man who was on the Contractors State License Board (CSLB) Most Wanted list has been sentenced to state prison again for charges related to unlicensed contracting.
A Contra Costa County judge sentenced 42-year-old Adan Contreras Rivas to seven years and eight months in state prison on March 10 after he was convicted in February of multiple felonies and misdemeanors related to unlicensed contracting, fraud, theft, and failing to obtain workers’ compensation insurance. — Full Story
