LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – A bogus contractor accused of scamming thousands from a senior skipped his day in court.
Alfred Lagunas is now being sought by police on a $10,000 bench warrant.
FOX5 previously showed you how a woman he met through church paid him $8,000 for repairs to her roof and back patio. After some shoddy work, he left, never to be heard from again.
The Nevada State Contractors Board tells FOX5 that Lagunas will now be added to their most wanted list. If caught and convicted, he could face a year in jail and a $10,000 fine. They say Lagunas faced the same charge before, operating as a contractor without a license, and want to warn the public about him before he takes money from anyone else.
“In this case, it involves an elderly woman and her brother with special needs, and we take that very seriously. This was her life savings,” described Randy Escamilla, Public Information Officer for the Nevada State Contractors Board.
“I am stuck right now. No money, no nothing. I had this porch built for my brother who is handicapped, for the two of us. We didn’t get to enjoy this last year,” shared Barbara Ojito while standing outside her Las Vegas home. Ojito documented on video giving Lagunas cash to make repairs to her home and backyard. Eventually, she thought something was off after initially connecting with him through church.
“In Nevada, it is a crime for anyone to work as an unlicensed contractor,” Escamilla reported. He said this case is a reminder of the consequences of hiring someone who is unlicensed.
“When somebody hires an unlicensed contractor, you won’t be able to get your money back. The chances are very, very slim but if you hire a licensed contractor, you have the protections of the Nevada State Contractors Board,” Escamilla stated.
The board investigates claims if something goes wrong with a licensed contractor, and at regular hearings, reimburses homeowners up to $40,000 through a Residential Recovery Fund.
No matter who you hire for your home project, always pay with a check or credit card made out to the company, not the individual.
Don’t pay the entire cost upfront. Under a new law (AB39) that went into effect in October, contractors cannot ask for a deposit of more than ten percent of the contract value or $1,000, whichever is less unless they have special bonding.
After FOX5 reported on how Ojito was scammed a couple of weeks ago, we were contacted by a legitimate contractor who wanted to help her and fix what was wrong. Look for that update later this week.
Before you hire anyone for a job at your home, you should check out a list on the board’s website to make sure you don’t hire any of the people on their top 10 Most Wanted in Southern Nevada: http://www.nvcontractorsboard.com/most_wanted.php
If you have questions for the Nevada State Contractors Board, they can be reached at (702) 486-1100 or www.nscb.nv.gov
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