(Washington, DC) Working as an unlicensed home improvement contractor in the District is bad business—and hiring one is a bad decision. That's the message from the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs’ (DCRA’s) Office of Consumer Protection after announcing the results of a sting operation.

Operation Nail Gun was a multi-agency effort of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPDC), the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), and the Office of the Attorney General (OAG). Led by DCRA’s Office of Consumer Protection, the purpose of the sting was to “nail” unscrupulous home improvement contractors.

In preparation for the sting, DCRA identified and inspected several single-family residences that had no structural or cosmetic problems. DCRA representatives then contacted home improvement contractors that had complaints filed against them. The contractors were asked to inspect and bid on a specific home improvement project.

DCRA inspectors determined that Percy Leroy Jacobs of Platinum Universal Construction and Adrian Barnes of RyChris Construction were both in violation of the District’s home improvement laws. Neither contractor was licensed to perform home improvement or sell home improvement services in the District of Columbia.

Investigations are proceeding for both cases, and each contractor was issued a Notice of Infraction (NOI) with accompanying fines up to $5,000. After the contractors have been served, they will be subject to arrest if they continue to operate in the District of Columbia without the proper licenses.