WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced Oct. 31 that a federal judge banned a group of debt collectors that allegedly pretended to be affiliated with the government from the debt collection business.
The FTC submitted a request for summary judgment against the group as part of Operation Collection Protection, an ongoing nationwide crackdown on debt collectors using illegal practices and harassing consumers.
In February 2014, the FTC charged Mark Briandi, William Moses and 13 companies known as Federal Check Processing with violations of the FTC Act and Federal Debt Collection Procedures Act. The defendants purportedly falsely accused consumers of committing check fraud and threatened to have them arrested or sued. The defendants coerced consumers into complying by pretending to be affiliated with the government, the FTC charged.
In April, U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer recommended the court grant the FTC’s request for summary judgment on all counts, and on Aug. 12, U.S. District Court Judge William M. Skretny adopted the recommendation.