Contractor faces jail for not having license

GOODING, Idaho – A contractor who pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of operating as a farm contractor without a state license faces 60 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Jose Luis Garza, 50, was to be sentenced Monday, but his attorney didn’t appear. His hearing was postponed to next Monday.

“It’s an important case,” said Gooding County Prosecuting Attorney Calvin Campbell, who filed the charge at the request of Idaho Commerce and Labor.

“We will push for the maximum sentence to make a point,” said Ken Dey, spokesman for Idaho Commerce and Labor. “We need to raise awareness because it’s a growing problem. We are going to aggressively pursue people who are not licensed.”

Craig Soelberg, the program supervisor of the wage and hour section of Idaho Commerce and Labor, said contractors discovered that not as much enforcement was being done.

“The honest farm contractors asked us to get on it,” said Soelberg. “They gave us names and told us where they were working.”

Soelberg said unlicensed contractors can reduce costs, avoid taxes, and do not have a contract agreement through the bond that licensed contractors pay.

“We know there are quite a few,” said Soelberg. “We have a list of contractors we think are doing work unlicensed. We started investigating three weeks ago and will continue until the fall when there is no longer a season for the contractors.”

The Gooding County sheriff issued Garza his citation. Dey said the department is not cracking down on illegal immigrants.

“We have no responsibility or jurisdiction with immigration,” he said.