Collier County unlicensed contractors arrested, face felony charges

Reporter: Michelle Alvarez Writer: Rachel Murphy
Published: Updated:
Reyes Cardena, Rolando Mejia, unlicensed contractors arrested CREDIT Collier County sheriffs office

The Collier County Sheriff’s Office wants you to beware of these three men, especially if you need work done on Hurricane Ian damages.

Deputies arrested Reyes Cardena, Rolando Mejia and Mark Mullaney Wednesday, accusing them of being unlicensed contractors.

“There’s many jobs that you can do, handyman work and so forth. It does not require a license. But these people are doing jobs that require state licensure,” Chad Parker, lieutenant of the Financial Crimes Bureau, said.

Collier County Sheriff’s deputies said they are repeat offenders. Detectives have fined them before for contracting without a license.

People who do contract work without a license — in a state of emergency — face felony charges.

“We have active investigations with at least three others at this time,” Parker said.

Parker told WINK News a lot of unlicensed contracting is happening. He said these men we caught doing “highly skilled electrical and plumbing” work.

“They did complete the work for which they were hired, but there’s a multitude of problems there, none of that work was inspected, none of it was permitted beforehand,” Parker said, “so as a homeowner, when you try to sell your house, you may have some issues there because that work was never permitted.”

Collier County said it is easy and important to check if the contractor you hire is legitimate. You can look the person or company up online or call the sheriff’s office.

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