New York AG Cuomo Closes Collection Agencies
New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is continuing his crusade against rogue debt collectors. His office announced on Wednesday that they have launched a statewide inquiry into debt collection agencies.
In addition, they have obtained a court order against Lamont Cooper and his two debt collection companies, Emanee Development, Inc. and Dial Tech LLC, under which the companies will shut down and Cooper will be forced to pay restitution to consumers statewide.
According to Cuomo’s Office, Cooper’s collections companies unlawfully lied to consumers, threatened to arrest them, and intimidated them into paying debts that they sometimes did not even owe. They would often call third parties like neighbors or employers to further embarrass and harass consumers. Emanee and Dial Tech allegedly did business under the names of various shell companies and fictitious law firms across the state, including: Claims Process Services, Claims America, CMC Recovery Services, Lomax & Barnes and Murray, Bradshaw & Associates.
Cuomo also announced that his Office has subpoenaed nearly 20 other debt collectors across the state of New York in his ongoing investigation into various practices of the debt collection industry.
Attorney General Cuomo has subpoenaed nearly twenty companies and law firms operating as debt collectors throughout the state. The subpoenas included requests designed to discover the policies and procedures the debt collectors have implemented to comply with federal and state laws, how the companies respond to complaints about their collection practices, as well as how individual collectors are compensated.
The companies subpoenaed by Cuomo’s Office include:
- Cavalry Portfolio Services, LLC
- Cohen & Slamowitz, LLP
- Debt Recovery Solutions LLC
- Eltman, Eltman & Cooper
- Forster and Garbus
- LHR, Inc
- Mel S. Harris & Associates, LLC
- Med-Rev Recoveries, Inc.
- Mitchell N. Kay, P.C.
- NCO Portfolio Management, Inc. and NCO Financial Systems, Inc.
- North Shore Agency, Inc
- RJM Acquisitions LLC
- Rubin & Rothman LLC
- Sharinn & Lipshie P.C
You may remember LHR from the Dateline NBC special about a month ago. Perhaps Cuomo will thank Chris Hansen and Dateline for helping him out on this investigation.
Also, several of the agencies above were involved in a previous action by Cuomo.
Read the full press release HERE.
Read the Business Week Report on this HERE.
Sam
on Sep 12th, 2009
@ 8:22 PM:
They ought to go after Pioneer Credit Recovery… but they won’t because they collect Government Student Loans. However, they USE THE SAME TACTICS as the agencies listed above.
I’ve personally had one “representative” flat out tell me the FDCPA doesn’t apply to them. Then when I told her she was lying, and I’ll have her talk to my attorney, she said “You can’t afford an attorney”, and went on to tell me how those who can’t pay their bills can’t pay an attorney.
What these people don’t realize is that they’re collecting student loans, which means they’re usually dealing with people with some level of higher education, and are usually astute enough to educate themselves on the law.
Of course, the collectors seem to be unaware of this, and still come with an air of superiority… they don’t have to worry about taking out loans for higher education.
scott
on Sep 22nd, 2010
@ 2:26 AM:
Apparently closing them didn’t do a damn bit of good. I just got a bill for over $8000.00 for a cell bill well I think my cell phone company who I had for nearly 10yrs would have contacted me about a bill of this amount.
The Company Retrieval-Masters Creditors Bureau Inc in Elmsford NY. for Lewis Hastie Receivables. They also state the number 3537704051(?)and the 353 number isn’t even an valid area code.
james fish
on Feb 16th, 2011
@ 10:20 PM:
Cuomo should work on cutting government entitlement run amok. And not go after small businesses that have deadbeat customers that don’t pay their bills. Its theft. And it results in higher prices for those that do pay.
Why is everything more expensive in NY because we are so anti common sense here. We always favor the deadbeat. We provide free taxpayer funded lawyers for foreclosure cases, even though the government owns the majority of home loans. So its like one hand fighting the other hand.
Monica
on Sep 7th, 2011
@ 4:46 PM:
Lamont Cooper is still running a collection business. Several actually. Just doing it in a different state, using a different business name, and still breaking the law using threats.