Contractor Pleads Guilty to Operating Without Insurance

A California contractor pleaded guilty to charges that he failed to carry workers’ compensation coverage for his workers, the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office announced. James Abner Smith, who owns and manages Carmel Landscape Co., was ordered to return to court Sept. 28 for a sentencing hearing, where he faces a maximum term of one year in county jail and a $50,000 fine. The District Attorney’s Office said a Contractors State Licensing Board investigation found that Smith using workers at a residential project in Carmel. Smith had previously reported that he...