BATON ROUGE - Deputies arrested an unlicensed contractor after he accepted $15,000 to complete repairs to a home.

East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office deputies charged Derrick Bradford with residential contractor fraud. They say a homeowner contacted Bradford to make various repairs to her home in September 2016, in a contract totaling $22,569.50.

Deputies say the victim contacted them in July, saying she paid Bradford nearly $15,000 for supplies and labor, including installation of sheet rock, doors, floors, baseboards, cabinets, and paint. She also said she agreed to pay an additional $10,000 for the cost of labor, half of which would be paid up front, and the other half after the job was completed.

After some of the work was completed, the victim told deputies Bradford's work was not of proper quality and was unfinished.

Deputies say they researched Bradford and the company he owns, Capital City Painting and Sheetrock, on the Louisiana State Board of Licensing website. They discovered neither Bradford nor his company possess a Home Improvement Registration or Residential License. They then contracted Bradford, who agreed to meet with them.

During an interview with investigators, deputies say Bradford told them he was unaware he needed the proper license to perform contracts over $7,500. They say he also told them he performed the job as a favor and never realized the implications of doing a job without a Home Improvement Registration.