New York AG Obtains Court Order Shutting Down Two Debt Collection Agencies For Illegal Business Practices

From the Office of the New York Attorney General:

• Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo [...] announced that his office has launched a statewide inquiry into debt collection companies. As part of the inquiry, the Attorney General’s Office obtained a court order against Lamont Cooper and his two debt collection companies, Emanee Development, Inc. and Dial Tech LLC,(1) 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 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. The Attorney General also announced that his Office has subpoenaed nearly 20 other debt collectors across the state in his ongoing investigation into various facets of the debt industry.

For more, see Attorney General Cuomo Launches Inquiry Into Debt Collectors Across New York State (Cuomo Shuts Down NY Collection Agencies That Threatened and Intimidated Consumers Into Paying Debts They Didn’t Owe; Sends Subpoenas to Nearly 20 Debt Collectors Statewide).

(1) According to the Attorney General's Office, Cooper operated Emanee and Dial Tech, which 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.