Four suspects have been arrested by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office on suspicions of operating as unlicensed contractors. The FCSO announced the arrests on Wednesday, at the conclusion of an undercover operation that began in August.
The four individuals arrested 34-year-old DeLand resident Patrick Branigan, 31-year-old Jacksonville resident Jacob Gayle, 68-year-old Aristides Chavez Martinez, and 30-year-old Palm Coast resident Thomas Rush.
Investigating the Case
The investigation was handled by the FCSO’s General Assignment Unit. According to the FCSO, ‘numerous complaints’ were submitted to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, as well as the Flagler County Contractor Licensing Division and the City of Palm Coast Building Department.
Detectives reportedly identified 45 instances of business transactions stemming from the complaints that were submitted. Further evidence was obtained as social media campaigns and advertisements were discovered. At this point, the General Assignment Unit began placing calls and text messages to the alleged unlicensed contractors to set up jobs. 19 agreed to perform work, the FCSO says.
Out of the 19 who agreed to a job, seven of them took meetings with undercover detectives in the second phase of the investigation. Four are said to have advertised and provided estimates for construction services which are regulated with licensure requirements. They reportedly did not have the legally required licensing to arrange such transactions.
Arresting the Suspects
When the alleged unlicensed contractors arrived at the residences arranged in the deal, detectives placed them under arrest. Two of them – Branigan and Rush – were charged with offering to perform work as unregistered electrical contractors and for contracting without a license. They were each booked into the county jail on $1,000 bond last week, and both posted it the same day as their arrest.
Gayle was arrested for contracting without a license, and booked into the county jail on $500 bond. He too was released the same day. Chavez Martinez was charged with unlicensed electrical contracting, and the next day was turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement once the FCSO determined he was an undocumented immigrant.
Criminal Histories
Of the four suspects, only Rush has prior bookings in the Flagler County jail. Dating back to 2013, he has previous charges for carrying an unlicensed firearm and marijuana possession. This latest was his Flagler County arrest in over eight years.
Branigan is also said to have previous arrests for possession of a firearm while committing a felony, and Chavez Martinez has reportedly committed grand theft, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, fraud, burglary with assault or battery, and providing false information to law enforcement.
Aftermath
The FCSO also detailed the outcomes of the other three individuals their detectives spoke to as part of the investigation. One ‘did not engage in the operation’s final phase’ but is the subject of charges that are being reviewed by the State Attorney’s Office for potential arrest. The other two are said to have acted within the boundaries of Florida law but advertised themselves beyond their licensure. The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation will reportedly be citing them and sending them cease and desist orders.
“These arrests help prevent future victims in our community and send a strong message that unlicensed contracting work will not be tolerated,” Flagler Sheriff Rick Staly said. “I commend our General Assignment Unit, Special Investigations Unit, PACE Unit, and our partners at DBPR and thank the Flagler County Association of Realtors, the Flagler Home Builders Association, and the property owners for helping us stop illegal contracting.”
Homeowners seeking to do business with a contractor are advised to verify their licenses through the DBPR, Flagler County Contractor Licensing Division, or the applicable database with their city government. Unlicensed contractors are an especially prevalent threat after a major hurricane. Those who have work done by unlicensed contractors could potentially jeopardize their property insurance coverage, risk injury liability, or hamper their ability to sell their home at a later date.
Good job by the FCSO. I was a licensed contractor (legally) for 37 years and I didn’t receive jobs after I gave the bid because people found another person to do it cheaper. Two of them I remember did not have a license to do the work but the customer went with them anyway. Low and behold one did call me to complain about the job that was done and wanted me to fix it. Well unfortunately I looked at the job and told the customer they needed to call the sheriff’s office and complain about it. It was so bad it would have cost then twice as much as the original estimate. Never heard what the outcome was. This happened years ago. Since then I used to tell all my potential customers that they need to make sure the person they wanted to hire has the proper licensing and insurance.