Exposed: Predatory Contractors Target Elderly Veteran -- Unsigned Deals and one Massively inflated bill

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 out of order, and in the case of FRG Handyman, a request for a $5000  draw when minimal 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. Checks totaling $11,000 (or $8,000) were cashed by Delgado — and they 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:  Sagal showed little concern for lack of a signed contract while describing a payment process that does not seem to have transpired.  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, threatened a mechanic's lien, and then he tossed out  a "$6,000 settlement offer" with no logic or facts behind it —  all  via email with suspicious polish and   confusion, hinting at a disorganized  team effort and the use of AI to sound professional. 

And here's where it gets stranger:  Three of Monterey County's DA's who handle Civil Cases,  the Registrar for the  Contractors State Licensing Board (CSLB) ,  the County Supervisor for District 2 and his Chief of Staff all were added to the Cc's as soon as things started to slip in the break up dialogue.   

This should not be recorded as one man's ordeal. It exposes a glaring crevace in California's contractor oversight: Two contractors with no fear of telling the CSLB they were engaging in Verbal Contracts with an Elder,  and one who showed no fear for far more with three Monterey District Attorneys on the cc too?  

With over 400 ADU scams statewide and unaddressed fraud claims for those averaging $110,000 each, is the system rigged against consumers and vulnerable elders?

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