In the quiet coastal area near the Elkhorn Slough, just inland from Moss Landing CA,   78-year-old veteran and retired carpenter Charlie Field faced a challenge no senior should endure.  After his wife's stroke left her hospitalized, Charlie worked to make their home accessible—seeking a simple chair lift and walk-in shower conversion. 

What started as hopeful verbal quotes from local contractors Marc Sagal of Access Options and Jose Fernando Luis Delgado of FRG Handyman spiraled into a web of unsigned contracts,  checks and debit card payments taken out of order, and in the case of FRG Handyman, a follow up demand for $5000 when barely any work had been done since the first check was cashed. 

Was this a case of attempted exploitation?  Sagal described a phone order that doesn't seem to have happened. Delgado's crew demolished a bathtub and shifted plumbing, but progress stalled. Payments totaling $11,000 (or $8,000 depending on who's accounting)  were cashed by Delgado — and Charlie's checks were filled out by Delgado himself due to Charlie's shaky hands— after which an unsigned $35,000 invoice appeared out of nowhere. 

When Charlie, with his neighbor and brothers support, terminated the jobs, the responses were brazen: In addition to describing a phone order that doesn't seem to have happened -- Sagal showed little concern for lack of a signed contract. To his credit, he did quickly refund a $3400 deposit.   Delgado didn't do what Sagal did at all.   He inflated "accountings" claiming 175 hours of labor for minimal work, he threatened mechanic's liens, and launched a shady "settlement" offer with no logic or facts behind it —  all of which was emailed with suspicious polish and confusion combined, hinting at disorganized  team effort and the use of AI to sound professional.  

This should not be recorded as one man's ordeal. It exposes a glaring flaw in California's contractor oversight: Two contractors with no fear of the Contractors State Licensing Board (CSLB) and one who should no fear for Monterey's District Attorneys given they were on the cc too?  With over 400 ADU scams statewide and unaddressed fraud claims topping $110,000, is the system rigged against consumers and vulnerable elders?

Dive into the full story below: A chronology blending heartfelt testimony with irrefutable evidence—emails, invoices, photos, and complaints filed with authorities. This isn't speculation; it's a call for accountability. Share if you've seen similar schemes—together, we can demand a recategorization of contractor schemes as criminal, with police protection and far better outcomes.