Redwood City Man Pleads No Contest To Grand Theft, Larceny

REDWOOD CITY, CA -- A man charged with grand theft and larceny for posing as a licensed contractor and taking $13,000 from two clients without ever starting work on their projects pleaded no contest Friday, according to San Mateo County prosecutors.

In June and August of 2015, 45-year-old Zhongcan Liu allegedly entered into construction contracts using another contractor's license number. His own license had been repeatedly suspended, and he did not have
one at the time, prosecutors said.

He allegedly collected $5,000 from one client and $8,000 from another, then never did any of the work. Prosecutors said that when the victims attempted to reach Liu he "simply disappeared."

District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said Liu had a history of similar crimes, which is particularly unusual in these cases.

"Sometimes it can be people down on their luck who didn't get a license or whatever," Wagstaffe said. "This man is simply a fraud who knew he was cheating. It's very obvious he never had any intention to do any of it.
That's just fraud from the beginning."

Liu is facing up to four years in state prison when he returns to court for sentencing Aug. 13.

Defense attorney Charles Smith did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the case.

--Bay City News/Photo via Shutterstock