HK police search landfill for US$3.7 mil. Painting

Hong Kong police on Wednesday searched for a valuable painting mistakenly dumped in a landfill after it sold for US$3.7 million at auction, reports said.

"Snowy Mountain" by the Chinese artist Cui Ruzhuo, which was a main feature of the spring auction by Beijing-based Poly Culture this week, was dumped by cleaners at the luxury hotel hosting the sale, the South China Morning Post said.

Grand Hyatt hotel cleaners were suspected of dumping the painting, which sold on Monday for more than HK$28.75 million (US$3.71 million), along with rubbish that was taken to a landfill, the paper said, citing an unnamed police source.

Police suspected the painting was thrown out by cleaners after viewing security camera images but would not rule out the possibility of it having been stolen, media reported.

Police said a theft case was reported on Tuesday by an auction house staff member regarding a painting, without further details.

A Grant Hyatt spokeswoman would not confirm if the painting had been dumped as trash but said hotel staff did not handle items sold at the auction because they were too expensive.

She said that organizers would hire their own security and contractors for such events involving "high-value" items.

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HK police search landfill for US$3.7 mil. Painting

The 2012 painting Snowy Mountain was by Chinese artist Cui Ruzhuo It was reported missing by Chinese auctioneers on Tuesday afternoon Police have checked CCTV footage at the Grand Hyatt hotel

By Jill Reilly

Published: 02:59 EST, 9 April 2014 | Updated: 11:03 EST, 9 April 2014

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Police are searching a landfill site for a 2.2million painting that had just sold at auction in Hong Kong when cleaners accidentally threw it away.

The 2012 painting Snowy Mountain, by Chinese artist Cui Ruzhuo, was reported missing by auctioneers Poly Auction on Tuesday afternoon after the auction on Monday.

Ming Pao newspaper reported that police had checked CCTV footage at the Grand Hyatt hotel, where the auction took place, which showed cleaners removing the painting.

Police are searching a landfill site for a 2.2million painting that had just sold at auction after Hong Kong cleaners accidentally threw it away

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Cleaners threw 2.2m Cui Ruzhuo painting away thinking it was rubbish

HONG KONG: Hong Kong police on Wednesday searched for a valuable painting mistakenly dumped in a landfill after it sold for $3.7 million at auction, reports said.

"Snowy Mountain" by Chinese artist Cui Ruzhuo, which was a main feature of the spring auction by Beijing-based Poly Culture this week, was dumped by cleaners at the luxury hotel hosting the sale, the South China Morning Post said.

Grand Hyatt hotel cleaners were suspected of dumping the painting, which sold on Monday for more than HK$28.75 million ($3.71 million), along with rubbish that was taken to a landfill, the paper said, citing an unnamed police source.

Poly Culture did not comment immediately when contacted by AFP.

Police suspected the painting was thrown out by cleaners after viewing security camera images but would not rule out the possibility of it having been stolen, media reported.

Police told AFP a theft case was reported on Tuesday by an auction house staff member regarding a painting, without giving further details.

A Grant Hyatt spokeswoman would not confirm if the painting had been dumped as trash but said hotel staff did not handle items sold at the auction because they were too expensive.

She said in an emailed statement to AFP that organisers would hire their own security and contractors for such events involving "high-value" items.

The spring sale was the first major auction organised by Poly Culture in Hong Kong following its stock debut in March.

Poly Culture Group, the world's third largest auction house by revenue behind Sotheby's and Christie's, is a subsidiary of state-run conglomerate Poly Group.

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Hong Kong police search landfill for US$3.7m painting

State regulators have recommended a citation for a San Diego contractor after investigating complaints from residents of a Fashion Valley homeowners association that the company was painting homes without required licenses.

An enforcement supervisor for the Contractors State License Board informed resident Betty Rodriguez in a letter last week.

After thorough investigation we have forwarded our investigation report to our regional office for preparation of a citation against the contractors license, the supervisor states.

Rodriguez and other members of the Fashion Hills Owners Association filed the complaint against Southern California Property Maintenance, a firm owned by Robert Borrego.

Borregos maintenance company was given a $184,000 contract for painting and other improvements even though he does not hold a specialty painting license.

U-T Watchdog reported on the contract in October. Homeowners association board member Michael Shames said then that Borrego transferred the work to another vendor, although painters working in the neighborhood told the Watchdog they worked for Borrego.

Shames said Monday, I encouraged everyone to use the regulatory process to resolve this controversy precisely because there were no clear answers and thats why the regulatory bodies exist. That process is still underway.

Borrego also works as the property manager for association, which several homeowners said is a conflict of interest.

Borregos lawyer said Monday that he had no comment.

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Citation recommended for contractor

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Warwick, RI (PRWEB) March 31, 2014

ELCO Painting, Inc., full-service painting company specializing in residential, commercial and industrial painting, contacted Brave River Solutions (BRS) in search of a mobile app that would allow them to create estimates and proposals on-the-go. BRS, a Rhode Island web design and development company, custom developed a .NET app based off of ELCOs existing proprietary forms, processes and desktop application.

ELCOs painting experts can now take their tablets along with them when meeting new clients, and use the Estimator app to create personalized, custom proposals on the spot, reducing turnaround time. BRS re-created in a digital format the paper forms that ELCO used previously, and added a calculation function to convert hourly estimates into detailed quotes. The quote is then used to generate a project proposal that can be electronically signed and approved instantly, and/or emailed directly from the app for later review. In addition to use during sales calls at prospective job sites, ELCO plans to use the app to generate proposals right from the tradeshow floor.

The custom programmed app also features a desktop component, which can be used when customers call the ELCO office to inquire about a commercial or residential painting project. Both the desktop and mobile versions allow ELCOs painters to record expenses and track the job status as the project progresses, making it easy to generate instant status and cost reports.

The new app helps ELCO to reduce the volume of paper they use, while finishing the estimate cycle quickly by generating electronic proposals. "The app has worked wonders since we started using it 2 weeks ago. We are working more efficiently, and it's so nice to be able to access our customers and their jobs immediately and from anywhere, says Jennifer Elliot of ELCO Painting, Inc.

Brave River Solutions works with their clients to create custom solutions to meet their unique business needs.

ABOUT ELCO PAINTING, INC.: ELCO Painting, Inc. is a family owned and operated, full-service painting company, specializing in Residential, Commercial and Industrial painting since 1980. We are fully insured and registered in the state of Rhode Island and are members of the Rhode Island Builders Association (RIBA), Painting and Decorating Contractors of America (PDCA), Professional Painters Network (PROSULT) & Rhode Island Hospitality Association. Please visit elcopainting.com to learn more.

ABOUT BRAVE RIVER SOLUTIONS: Located in Warwick, RI, Brave River Solutions is a leading provider of technology solutions, including custom application development, to businesses in the Providence and Boston areas. Since its inception in 2000, the experts at Brave River have partnered with their clients to create solutions that enhance productivity and efficiency, and improve ROI through state-of-the-art technology. To learn more about Brave River's technology services, please visit braveriver.com.

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Brave River Solutions Builds Custom App for ELCO Painting

The Contractors State License Board (CSLB) held sting operations last Tuesday through Thursday, March 25-27, in nine California locations, including Dana Point, where 13 alleged unlicensed contractors were swept up.

The "California Blitz" operation, which was staged by CSLB's Statewide Investigative Fraud Team with local law enforcement assistance, had SWIFT agents posing as homeowners seeking bids for home improvements such as painting, drywall, landscaping, decking, cabinets, flooring, fencing, masonry, concrete and tree removal work.

A total of 121 individuals were arrested statewide, including repeat offenders. Among those caught in the Dana Point sting was a man awaiting trial on an assault with a deadly weapon charge, according to CSLB. An unlicensed contractor busted in Orange County had been reported to CSLB by a licensed contractor who had lost work to the illegal operator.

Besides Dana Point, where the Orange County Sheriff's Department and District Attorney's office participated in the sting, ops were run in Bass Lake, Clovis, Hanford, Palos Verdes Estate, Sacramento, San Jose, Vista and Woodland.

Unlicensed landscaping contractor Martin Villegas was busted in the Sacramento sting for responding to a fake bid request. The next day, he showed up to the sting location in nearby Woodland to bid for exterior painting, landscaping and concrete work. Thus, he received two notices to appear in court in two days, which may be some kind of record.

By the way, we used images from Spike TV's Catch a Contractor starring Adam Carolla to illustrate this post, which is fitting because the new reality show has already ventured into Tustin to make a shady contractor right his wrongs.

On the next page you'll find the names of those busted in Dana Point and their court dates. . .

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13 Alleged Unlicensed Contractors Busted in State Sting in Dana Point

Dozens of people now may face criminal charges after being caught in simultaneous undercover sting operations conducted by the Contractors State License Board (CSLB) March 25-27, 2014, in nine California locations.

Among the 121 individuals arrested during CSLB's spring California Blitz were repeat offenders, a man who is awaiting trial on an assault with a deadly weapon charge, and someone who was caught in not one, but two different stings.

Investigators from CSLB's Statewide Investigative Fraud Team (SWIFT), along with partners from a variety of local law enforcement agencies, conducted the stings in Bass Lake (Madera County), Clovis (Fresno County), Dana Point (Orange County), Hanford (Kings County), Palos Verdes Estates (Los Angeles County), Sacramento (Sacramento County), San Jose (Santa Clara County), Vista (San Diego County), and Woodland (Yolo County).

SWIFT investigators posed as homeowners seeking bids for home improvements such as painting, drywall, landscaping, decking, cabinets, flooring, fencing, masonry, concrete, and tree removal work.

After seeing his ad posted on craigslist.org, CSLB investigators invited Martin Villegas, of North Highlands, to the Sacramento sting. Villegas showed up with two other men and gave a $1,200 bid for landscaping work. That led to his first Notice to Appear (NTA) for contracting without a license.

His brush with the law didn't appear to slow down Villegas. The next day he showed up after being invited to a sting location in nearby Woodland. Villegas gave a different team of CSLB undercover investigators a $2,150 bid for exterior painting, landscaping, and concrete work.

That led to Villegas's second NTA in two days.

One suspect caught in the Clovis sting is actually a licensed contractor. But, Jeffrey Daniel Jimenez's license (#849108) was suspended last September after he failed to reimburse his bond company for a $1,700 payout it made to a consumer.

A number of the suspects targeted during the operation were on CSLB's radar after having consumer complaints filed against them. In one case, a suspect was cited by CSLB after a refusing to take care of a paint job he botched. The suspect was more than willing to give an undercover investigator $1,200 bid for painting. That earned the suspect a date in front of a superior court judge.

Of the 121 individuals arrested, 115 now may face misdemeanor charges for contracting without a license (Business and Professions Code section 7028). The penalty for a conviction is up to six months in jail and/or a fine of up to $5,000.

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Illegal Ads on Craigslist Catch Unlicensed Contractors

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