Did you see the California news item about two men who allegedly posed as structural engineers for more than 10 years? From 2003 through 2014, Ruben Gutierrez and Wilfrido Rodriguez created engineering and architectural plans for businesses, strip malls, homes and apartment buildings. Unfortunately, neither man was certified, trained, nor credentialed to create those plans.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Fraud and Cyber Crimes Bureau believes hundreds of projects may not be structurally sound. Add the risk of earthquakes in that state, and there is a real sense of urgency to track down the buildings and find out if they’re safe to inhabit.
The scam was difficult to detect. The two allegedly used stolen software from a reputable engineering firm, used the firm’s civil engineer seal, and forged signatures – all to create what appeared to be valid plans.
While the sheriff’s department continues to unravel the scam, who’s to blame? The plans looked official. They had the necessary seal and signatures. If you’re a homeowner and you built your house utilizing their plans – only to find out it’s uninhabitable – who’s responsible? And who bears the cost of re-building?
Even if the structures have suffered no apparent damage, California has very tough earthquake resistant building codes which could result in thousands of structures having to be strengthened to code, or completely torn down. This could be a very, very big mess.
