Unlicensed Contractor Accused Of Defrauding Concord Customers: DA

CONCORD, CA — A Modesto man was being held on $600,000 bail Thursday in Contra Costa County jail on 38 charges including financial elder abuse and theft by false pretenses in connection with fraudulent contracting practices it is alleged he carried out in Concord, Walnut Creek, and other Bay Area cities, the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office said.

Adan Contreras Rivas, 41, has been under investigation since June when a Walnut Creek resident first reported him, the DA's Office said.

It is alleged that Rivas posed as a licensed contractor in the landscaping and paver industry and took thousands of dollars from unsuspecting consumers, the DA's Office said.

Many of his suspected victims fit a particular profile: often elderly and residing in affluent neighborhoods in Concord and Walnut Creek, DA's Office Spokesperson Ted Asregadoo said.

Investigators believe there are additional victims in Contra Costa County, the South Bay, and the Central Valley.

When authorities arrested Rivas on Nov. 8 in Morgan Hill, he was operating under the name "Gutierrez Tree Services" — though he has used various business names including "New View Tree Care."

"Unlicensed contractors pose a threat to consumers by failing to acquire skills and licensure when hired to perform home improvement or construction projects," Asregadoo said. "Some unlicensed contractors illegally require 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 do not have completed background checks and usually do not carry workers’ compensation insurance for their employees – which increases liability risks to consumers."

The DA's Office has taken a proactive stance in protecting consumers in the county by partnering with multiple government agencies including the Contractors State License Board — CSLB— and the California Department of Insurance — CDI.

"This partnership conducts undercover sting operations and investigations involving unlicensed contractors who fail to obtain workers’ compensation insurance," Asregadoo said.

California law requires contractors to be licensed in their chosen specialty and to obtain workers’ compensation insurance for their employees. Licensed contractors are only allowed to request a down payment of $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract — whichever is less. For more information on how to verify a contractor’s license, go to Cslb.ca.gov.