CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Five members of a debt collection scheme have been sentenced to prison time for their roles in a fraudulent operation that bilked thousands of people out of approximately $6 million.
Cedrick Clark, 36, of Concord, N.C., was sentenced to 42 months in prison for his role as the owner and operator of the scheme.
Clark, along with his co-conspirators Michael Boughner, 49, of Charlotte, Cynthia Martinez, 37, of Charlotte, Felicia Shaw, 46, of Gastonia, and Humberto Gonzalez, 31, of Charlotte, were each sentenced to prison time for their roles in the scheme.
The scheme, which operated under the names Capital Solutions Agency, Berkeley Hughes and Associates, and the Vortex Group, targeted desperate debtors across the United States using a number of interconnected fraudulent debt collection companies.
The collectors used prepared scripts that contained false and misleading information designed to scare targeted victims into paying monies, including threats to bring criminal charges if the purported debtor did not pay his/her debt by the end of the telephone call.
According to court records, from November 2011 through May 2015, the defendants operated in Mecklenburg County and allegedly defrauded thousands of debtors throughout the United States of approximately $6 million.
In addition to their prison sentences, each of the defendants was ordered to serve three years of supervised release.
Defendant Information:
Cedrick Clark, 36, Concord, N.C.
Crime:
Engaging in a fraudulent debt collection conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud
City and State:
CHARLOTTE, N.C.
Exact Date:
Not specified in the source
Sentence or Outcome:
42 months in prison and three years of supervised release
Dollar Amounts:
$6 million
Key Facts
- State: North Carolina
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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