Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman announced charges against five unlicensed contractors following an undercover operation in Altadena’s Eaton fire zone.

“Unlicensed contractors … are essentially trying to take advantage of people at some of their lowest moments and trying to profit off their tragedy,” Hochman said Thursday in a joint news conference with L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents the unincorporated community.

The five suspects — Guillermo Ramirez, Edgar Geovanni Lopez Revolorio, Melvin Hairon Mejia Ordonez, Daniel Escarzaga and Andrew Escarzaga — were charged in connection to rebuilding or attempting to restore homes in Altadena without a license. They’ll be arraigned on Jan. 8.

Hochman referred to the defendants as “criminal contractors” at the news conference Thursday. He said the details of the undercover operation will be revealed in court.

The charges came as a result of a collaborative investigation involving the district attorney’s office and the Contractors State License Board, which regularly conducts undercover operations across the state to bust unlicensed contractors. So far this year, they’ve held stings in Walnut Creek, Visalia and Bakersfield.

Typically, the stings entail investigators posing as homeowners to solicit bids from contractors without licenses.

In California, a contractor’s license is required for any project over $1,000, and operating without one can lead to misdemeanor charges resulting in up to six months in jail and a $5,000 fine.

Each defendant in the cases Hochman announced faces a $10,000 fine and up to three years in prison. Though contracting without a license is normally a misdemeanor, it is a felony when done in connection with an area damaged by a natural disaster, such as Pacific Palisades or Altadena, Hochman said.

“If you are one of these unlicensed contractors, we’re gonna come after you. Every single person you deal with is someone who might be an undercover operative working for law enforcement,” Hochman said. “Get the heck out of our community.”

Contracting scams popped up repeatedly in the months after the January fires, especially in Altadena, where homeowners rushed to rebuild shortly after their homes burned down. In September, ABC 7 reported that two families were suing a contractor who promised to handle their entire rebuilds but disappeared after receiving retainer payouts of $33,678 from each family.

Hochman said unlicensed contractors often quote projects at half the cost of licensed contractors since they don’t have to pay for permits or insurance.

Barger explained that hiring unlicensed contractors can lead to higher costs, significant delays or unsafe work site conditions.

“It often costs more in the long run,” Barger said. “And sometimes, they run away with your money.”

On its website, the Contractors State License Board has a search engine to check contractors’ names or license numbers.

All five men arrested in the undercover operation did not actually perform any work on a home, according to Hochman, who said some other fire-affected homeowners have reached out to prosecutors to identify other unlicensed workers. More charges could be coming, he said. Hochman said he is launching a broader effort to protect fire victims looking for cheap repairs.

Asked whether he had concerns about the possible immigration consequences of such an enforcement effort — given the Trump administration’s sporadic arrests at L.A. courthouses and the fact that many unlicensed contractors cannot get state approval because of their immigration status — Hochman said the operation had nothing to do with immigration enforcement “one way or the other.”