WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) — The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced Aug. 29 that it has charged a debt collection ring in North Carolina with allegations of using intimidation and deception to take money from consumers for debts not owed or debts that the defendants had no right to collect.
The defendants – Lombardo, Daniels & Moss LLC, Dion Barron and Charles R. Montgomery III – are charged with violating the FTC Act and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. The defendants used a variety of trade names to sound like law firms – Lombardo, Daniels & Moss, Barron, Gibson & Phillips, and Cohen, Daniels & Moss. Under these names the defendants allegedly attempted to collect on debts that consumers did not actually owe. When consumers questioned them, the defendants purportedly resorted to threatening tactics.
The FTC noted the assistance of the Better Business Bureau of Southern Piedmont and Western North Carolina for helping in the case.
The Commission voted 2-0 to approve the complaint. The U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, Charlotte Division, entered a temporary restraining order against the defendants Aug. 24 that pinpointed the scheme and froze its assets.