Officials Warn Residents of Scammers; Four People Arrested

State and local officials on Thursday had a warning for those affected by last week's gas explosion and fire: Beware of scammers.

Officials from the police department, San Mateo County District Attorney's Office, state Department of Insurance and Contractors State License Board said they are coordinating efforts to patrol the Crestmoor neighborhood and prevent fraud by people who might attempt to take advantage of the residents affected by the disaster.

So far there have already been several reports of people attempting to defraud residents. On Tuesday, police arrested four people who attempted to get fraudulent DMV identification cards at the local assistance center set up at the Veterans Memorial Building.

Two of the people arrested, Sonya Smith, 44, and Lisa Justin, 42, both of San Bruno are being charged with burglary, perjury and filing false documents. They are both expected to be arraigned today at the San Mateo Superior Hall of Justice in Redwood City.

The other two suspects were released on bail and have not yet been charged, said Steve Wagstaffe, chief deputy district attorney for San Mateo County.

"We view them as vermin, and we will prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law," Wagstaffe said. "We urge the court to exercise no leniency."

Police also arrested Paul Lee, 34, of Millbrae shortly after midnight last Friday after he was seen driving around the disaster area on his motorcycle. When stopped by police, Lee told officers he was from San Francisco and was just going to check out the scene before he fled the scene. According to police, he ran over an officer's foot and led police on a "dangerous" chase to San Carlos before he was apprehended.

Lee is facing several charges, including assault on an officer, assault with a deadly weapon and a felony charge of evading an officer. He could face up to seven years in prison, Wagstaffe said.

Police also are investigating two burglaries reported in the disaster area and looking into another, Police Chief Neil Telford said.

Officials said Thursday workers from the various agencies are going to continue to be in the neighborhood educating people about steps to take to make sure they know what to do if approached by a contractor or attorney.

Undercover officers will also be sweeping the area for people who might be posing as contractors, said Rick Lopes, spokesman for the state licensing board.

"We want to make sure that when people begin to rebuild, the most important thing they find out is whether the person has a state-issued contractor's license," Lopes said.

For more information, visit www.cslb.ca.gov, smcare.org, or www.calbar.ca.gov.