Prosecutors: Tacoma Man Posed As Contractor, Scammed Homeowners

TACOMA, WA — A Pierce County man faces two felony theft charges after authorities said he posed as a contractor and collected deposits, then did "little or no work," between 2018 and 2019.

Jasen Ayers, 41, is accused of doing unlicensed business under several company names, including Ayers and Sons Remodeling, Superior Remodeling and Kingdom Construction. The Department of Labor and Industries said none of Ayers' six companies were licensed as a construction contractor through the state, and just two has business licenses of any kind.

L&I said Ayers bid on home improvement and repair projects for at least five homeowners in Tacoma, Puyallup, Spanaway and University Place. The majority of the victims reported hiring him through a contracting website called Porch.

According to prosecutors, Ayers required homeowners to pay 50 percent down and collected at least $9000 while performing very little work. Charging papers said Ayers would provide several excuses, including car troubles, child illnesses and family emergencies.

Ayers faces five counts of unregistered contracting and one count of doing business without a license, on top of the two felony charges. L&I said Ayers has also failed to paid fines related to 15 civil infractions between 2018 and 2019.

The Washington Attorney General's Office is prosecuting the case, based on the findings of L&I, Department of Revenue, and state investigators.

L&I provided several tips for homeowners to avoid falling for scams when searching for a contractor:

• Only hire contractors registered with the state and verify their registration online.
• Get three written bids.
• Never pay in full before the job is complete.
• Pay suppliers for materials, rather than going through the contractor.
• Be cautious writing checks directly to a person instead of a company name.