EDMONDS — An unregistered contractor who accepted payments to install windows he never bought was sentenced Thursday to eight days in jail and must repay $18,715 to homeowners.
Investigators found that Bradley John Tiehen took deposits and made excuses for why the windows never arrived. In December 2014, after receiving $5,000 from a client in Bellevue, he vacationed in Hawaii, according to an investigation by the state Department of Labor & Industries. A client in Stanwood lost nearly $12,000 and one in Seattle paid $1,800.
Tiehen, 43, admitted to advertising and agreeing to work as a contractor between November 2014 and January 2015, though he was not registered as required by state law. The Edmonds man pleaded guilty to unregistered contracting, a gross misdemeanor. A King County judge suspended another 354 days in jail for two years, provided Tiehen repays the money and does not work without registration.
Clients found Tiehen, doing business as Guardian Home Solutions, through an Everett home show and websites for discount services. L&I reminds people that online coupons or home show booths may look professional even if they are scams. Customers can go to www.protectmyhome.net to see if a contractor is registered.
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