A group of men who advertised work online in Pacific Palisades and collectively bid up to $1.27 million for construction projects in the fire-ravaged community now face potential penalties for allegedly operating without proper contractor’s licenses, authorities said.
Luis Perez Silva, 45; Antonio Herman Perez, 44; Santiago Ismael Mejia Urena, 44; Jecil Cruz-Herrera, 33; Raymond Joshua Castorena, 33; and Luis Mateo Perez Lopez, 27, allegedly began to promote their services following the devastating 2025 Palisades fire, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said in a statement Thursday.
It was not immediately clear whether the men had worked together or operated individually.
In April, authorities say investigators with the California’s Contractors State License Board’s Statewide Investigative Fraud Team discovered online advertisements offering construction services that did not list a contractor license number. They then set up separate appointments, posing as clients seeking build and demolition work for an accessory dwelling unit at a Pacific Palisades property.
Upon review, investigators found that the men they met with were unlicensed and had no pending applications with the state board. Collectively, the men placed illegal bids totaling up to $1.27 million for the work, authorities alleged.
“Hiring an unlicensed contractor is never a good deal, leaving you at risk of illegal down payments, fraud, unsafe construction and an inability to sell your home down the line,” said L.A. County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman. “This is also an issue of labor justice.”
Five of the men face up to three years in prison and/or fines of up to $10,000, prosecutors said, while Castorena faces up to six years in prison and/or fines of up to $10,000 due to a prior strike offense.
Castorena, Mejia Urena and Perez Lopez pleaded not guilty June 26, and a preliminary hearing setting is scheduled for Aug. 5.
Arraignment for Cruz-Herrera, Perez and Silva is set for July 8.
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