The rebuilding of Pacific Palisades has drawn its share of predators, prosecutors say — and now six men face criminal charges for allegedly working the fire zone without a contractor's license.
The charges
The six were each charged with felony contracting without a license during a state of emergency, a more serious offense in California than unlicensed work in ordinary times, NBC Los Angeles reported. Authorities identified the defendants as Luis Perez Silva, 45; Jecil Cruz-Herrera, 33; Luis Mateo Perez Lopez, 27; Antonio Herman Perez, 44; Santiago Ismael Mejia Urena, 44; and Raymond Joshua Castorena, 33. The allegations are unproven, and each defendant is entitled to a defense and presumed innocent unless convicted.
An undercover sting
The case grew out of an operation in April 2026 by the Contractors State License Board's fraud team and the Los Angeles County District Attorney's investigators, according to the district attorney's office. Investigators said they answered online ads that lacked the license numbers California requires, then met the advertisers at a Palisades property and collected bids for demolition and other rebuilding work. A license-board records check, prosecutors said, turned up no valid contractor licenses for the men. In all, officials said, the bids solicited during the sting totaled more than $1 million.
Five of the defendants face up to three years behind bars and fines if convicted; one, Castorena, faces a longer term because of a prior conviction, KTLA reported.
A warning to fire survivors
District Attorney Nathan Hochman framed the prosecution as a caution to homeowners racing to rebuild. "Hiring an unlicensed contractor is never a good deal," he said, warning that it can expose people to illegal deposits, shoddy or unsafe work and outright fraud. State regulators note that anyone can verify a contractor's license through the Contractors State License Board before signing anything or handing over money.
The bigger picture
The January 2025 Palisades fire destroyed thousands of structures and displaced whole neighborhoods, creating a vast, sudden market for demolition and construction — and, officials say, an opening for unlicensed operators to move in on people at their most vulnerable. Prosecutors have signaled that this case is unlikely to be the last, as the long rebuild continues and enforcement agencies keep watch over who is doing the work. For homeowners, the advice from the state is simple: ask for the license number, and check it, before the work begins.
