HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. -- The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office made a major announcement during its 'Operation Bring Down the House' Wednesday afternoon.
Between May 2018 and June 2018, detectives contacted 91 suspected unlicensed contractors over several websites. Some of the sources included Craigslist, Yelp, Facebook, and Porch.
The results of the investigation allowed the sheriff's office to arrest 15 unlicensed contractors, and charges are pending for five additional contractors. Contract totals equaled $110,250 for the 15 suspects arrested and $65,743 for the five suspects facing the pending charges.
Detectives received estimates for regulated construction work by unlicensed contractors. According to the sheriff's office, a majority of the suspects involved offered to do the work without required building permits, hoping to make the deal more enticing.
The sheriff's office warns of hiring unlicensed contractors due to potential substandard work without a warranty and other potential liabilities.
Paul Gordon has faced eight previous charges of unlicensed contracting in both Hillsborough and Pinellas County. William Moore and Donald Tucker have been involved in previous unlicensed contracting stings in Hillsborough County as well.
The suspected unlicensed contractors include the following:
Alberto Elfi
DOB: 12/22/1946
Charge: Contracting Without a License
Andrew Barrett
DOB: 02/27/1972
DBA: Andrew Handyman Services
Charge: Contracting Without a License
Brian Joseph Williams
DOB: 12/17/1979
DBA: The Honey Do Crew
Charge: Contracting Without a License
Charles Richard Bates
DOB: 10/23/1987
DBA: That's My Guy
Charge: Contracting Without a License
David Lawrence Fickey
DOB: 11/30/1986
DBA: Dave Does It All
Charge: Contracting Without a License
Donald Edward Tucker
DOB: 03/30/1963
DBA: Rent A Husband, Rent A Handyman
Charge: Contracting Without a License
Abdiel Gutierrez-Garcia
DOB: 07/20/1995
DBA: A-Z Home Solutions
Charge: Contracting Without a License
Jay Gordon Schlottman Jr.
DOB: 10/04/1977
DBA: The Riverview Handyman
Charge: Contracting Without a License
Jose Rafael Echavarria-Calderon
DOB: 01/24/1989
DBA: JE Clear Pools
Charge: Contracting Without a License
Jose Nabor Jaimes
DOB: 03/30/1970
DBA: Jaimes Handyman Services
Charge: Contracting Without a License
Lance S. Brady
DOB: 12/05/1967
DBA: Lance's Home Remodeling
Charge: Contracting Without a License
Paul Gerard Gordon
DOB: 05/16/1969
DBA: 813 Handyman
Charge: Felony Contracting Without a License (repeat offender)
Taek Su Kim
DOB: 07/05/1956
DBA: Kim's Plumbing
Charge: Contracting Without a License
William Leonard Moore
DOB: 01/31/1961
Charge: Contracting Without a License
Wilmer Yaner
DOB: 01/31/1979
DBA: Handyman Remodeling LLC
Charge: Contracting Without a License
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