v. - media.bizj.usmedia.bizj.us/view/img/4443391/warrant-services-association.pdf · benita...

Approved:

Before:

WIEL E lAfeBistant d States A t t o r n e y

HONORABLE SARAH NETBURN Unit e d States M a g i s t r a t e Judge Southern D i s t r i c t o f New York

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA SEALED COMPLAINT

V.

WILLIAMS SCOTT & ASSOCIATES, LLC, a/k/a "WSA," a/k/a "Warrant Services

A s s o c i a t i o n , " JOHN TODD WILLIAMS,

a/k/a "JT," a/k/a "Joe S t e e l e , "

BENITA CANNEDY, a/k/a "Sharon W r i g h t , "

RUDY JAMES, a/k/a "Ricky K e l l y , " a/k/a "Robert French,"

ARTHUR COOK, a/k/a "Ace Rogers,"

CHRISTOPHER LENYSZYN, a/k/a "Dan M i l l e r , "

CLARK SMITH, a/k/a "Mr. C l i n e , " and

TITUS MCDOWELL, a/k/a "Mr. McDowell,"

V i o l a t i o n of 18 U.S.C. 1349

COUNTIES OF OFFENSE: NEW YORK, BRONX, WESTCHESTER

Defendants. X

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK, ss.:

BRIAN COMISKY, being d u l y sworn, deposes and says t h a t he i s a S p e c i a l Agent w i t h t h e Federal Bureau o f I n v e s t i g a t i o n ("FBI"), and charges as f o l l o w s :

Case 1:14-mj-01037-GGB Document 2-2 Filed 11/18/14 of 36

COUNT ONE (Conspiracy t o Commit Wire Fraud)

1. From a t l e a s t i n or about 2009 up t o and i n c l u d i n g i n or about May 2014, i n the Southern D i s t r i c t of New York and elsewhere, WILLIAMS SCOTT & ASSOCIATES, LLC, a/k/a "WSA," a/k/a "Warrant Services A s s o c i a t i o n , " JOHN TODD WILLIAMS, a/k/a "JT," a/k/a "Joe St e e l e , " BENITA CANNEDY, a/k/a "Sharon W r i g h t , " RUDY JAMES, a/k/a "Ricky K e l l y , " a/k/a "Robert French," ARTHUR COOK, a/k/a "Ace Rogers," CHRISTOPHER LENYSZYN, a/k/a "Dan M i l l e r , " CLARK SMITH, a/k/a "Mr. C l i n e , " and TITUS MCDOWELL, a/k/a "Mr. McDowell," the defendants, and others known and unknown, w i l l f u l l y and knowingly d i d combine, conspire, c o n f e d e r a t e , and agree t o g e t h e r and w i t h o t h e r s t o commit of f e n s e s a g a i n s t the Un i t e d States , t o w i t , t o v i o l a t e S e c t i o n 1343 of T i t l e 18, United States Code.

2. I t was a p a r t and an o b j e c t o f the conspiracy t h a t WILLIAMS SCOTT & ASSOCIATES, LLC, a/k/a "WSA," a/k/a "Warrant Services A s s o c i a t i o n , " JOHN TODD WILLIAMS, a/k/a "JT," a/k/a "Joe S t e e l e , " BENITA CANNEDY, a/k/a "Sharon Wright," RUDY JAMES, a/k/a "Ricky K e l l y , " a/k/a "Robert French," ARTHUR COOK, a/k/a "Ace Rogers," CHRISTOPHER LENYSZYN, a/k/a "Dan M i l l e r , " CLARK SMITH, a/k/a "Mr. C l i n e , " and TITUS MCDOWELL, a/k/a "Mr. McDowell," the defendants, and others known and unknown, w i l l f u l l y and knowingly, having devised and i n t e n d i n g t o devise a scheme and a r t i f i c e t o defraud, and f o r o b t a i n i n g money and p r o p e r t y by means of f a l s e and f r a u d u l e n t pretenses, r e p r e s e n t a t i o n s and promises, would and d i d t r a n s m i t and cause t o be t r a n s m i t t e d by means of w i r e , r a d i o , and t e l e v i s i o n communication i n i n t e r s t a t e and f o r e i g n commerce, w r i t i n g s , s i g n s , s i g n a l s , p i c t u r e s , and sounds f o r the purpose of ex e c u t i n g such scheme and a r t i f i c e , i n v i o l a t i o n of T i t l e 18, Un i t e d States Code, Section 1343.

OVERT ACTS

3. I n f u r t h e r a n c e o f the co n s p i r a c y and t o e f f e c t t he i l l e g a l o b j e c t s t h e r e o f , the f o l l o w i n g o v e r t a c t s , among o t h e r s , were committed i n the Southern D i s t r i c t o f New York and elsewhere:

a. On or about February 28, 2014, CLARK SMITH, a/k/a "Mr. C l i n e , " the defendant, made f a l s e and f r a u d u l e n t r e p r e s e n t a t i o n s over the telephone i n an e f f o r t t o t r i c k a v i c t i m i n t o paying a p u r p o r t e d debt.

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b. On or about May 19, 2014, CHRISTOPHER LENYSZYN, a/k/a "Dan M i l l e r , " the defendant, made f a l s e and f r a u d u l e n t r e p r e s e n t a t i o n s over the telephone i n an e f f o r t t o t r i c k a v i c t i m i n t o paying a p u r p o r t e d debt.

c. On or about May 20, 2014, ARTHUR COOK, a/k/a "Ace Rogers," t he defendant, made f a l s e and f r a u d u l e n t r e p r e s e n t a t i o n s over the telephone i n an e f f o r t t o t r i c k a v i c t i m i n t o paying a p u r p o r t e d debt.

d. On or about May 21, 2014, BENITA CANNEDY, a/k/a "Sharon W r i g h t , " the defendant, made f a l s e and f r a u d u l e n t r e p r e s e n t a t i o n s over the telephone i n an e f f o r t t o t r i c k a v i c t i m i n t o paying a p u r p o r t e d debt.

e. On or about May 21, 2014, TITUS MCDOWELL, a/k/a "Mr. McDowell," the defendant, made f a l s e and f r a u d u l e n t r e p r e s e n t a t i o n s over the telephone i n an e f f o r t t o t r i c k a v i c t i m i n t o paying a p u r p o r t e d debt.

f . On or about May 22, 2014, RUDY JAMES, a/k/a "Ricky K e l l y , " a/k/a "Robert French," the defendant, made f a l s e and f r a u d u l e n t r e p r e s e n t a t i o n s over the telephone i n an e f f o r t t o t r i c k a v i c t i m i n t o paying a p u r p o r t e d debt.

( T i t l e 18, United States Code, Section 1349.)

The bases f o r my knowledge and the f o r e g o i n g charges are, i n p a r t , as f o l l o w s :

4. I am a Spe c i a l Agent w i t h the FBI and I have been p e r s o n a l l y i n v o l v e d i n the i n v e s t i g a t i o n of t h i s m atter. This a f f i d a v i t i s based upon my own o b s e r v a t i o n s , c o n v e r s a t i o ns w i t h o t h e r law enforcement agents and o t h e r s , and my examination of r e p o r t s and records prepared by o t h e r s . Because t h i s a f f i d a v i t i s b e i n g submitted f o r the l i m i t e d purpose o f e s t a b l i s h i n g p r obable cause, i t does not i n c l u d e a l l the f a c t s t h a t I have l e a r n e d d u r i n g the course o f my i n v e s t i g a t i o n . Where the con t e n t s o f documents and the a c t i o n s , statements, and con v e r s a t i o n s o f oth e r s are r e p o r t e d h e r e i n , they are r e p o r t e d i n substance and i n p a r t , except where otherwis e i n d i c a t e d .

Overview of the Scheme

5. As set f o r t h more f u l l y below, JOHN TODD WILLIAMS, a/k/a "JT," a/k/a "Joe S t e e l e , " the defendant, owned and managed WILLIAMS SCOTT & ASSOCIATES, LLC, a/k/a "WSA," a/k/a "Warrant Services A s s o c i a t i o n " ( h e r e i n a f t e r , "WSA"), the

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defendant, a debt c o l l e c t i o n company based i n Norcross, Georgia. From a t l e a s t i n or about 2009 through i n or about May 2014, employees working f o r WSA r o u t i n e l y t r i c k e d and coerced or attempted t o t r i c k and coerce thousands o f v i c t i m s throughout the U n i t e d States i n t o paying m i l l i o n s of d o l l a r s i n consumer debts t h r o u gh a v a r i e t y of f a l s e statements and f a l s e t h r e a t s .

6. I n p a r t i c u l a r , i n order t o t r i c k v i c t i m s i n t o paying p u r p o r t e d debts, as w e l l as fees t o WSA, the defendant, employees o f WSA, using a v a r i e t y of a l i a s e s , t o l d v i c t i m s , among o t h e r t h i n g s , t h a t : (1) WSA had c o n t r a c t s w i t h and/or was otherwise a f f i l i a t e d w i t h c e r t a i n f e d e r a l or l o c a l law enforcement agencies, i n c l u d i n g t h e Department o f J u s t i c e and the U n i t e d States Marshals Service, as w e l l as n o n - e x i s t e n t government agencies such as the "Federal Government Task Force" and the "DOJ Task Force"; (2) the consumers had committed c r i m i n a l a c t s , such as "check f r a u d " or " d e p o s i t o r y check f r a u d , " among ot h e r kinds of f r a u d , and i f they d i d not pay the debt immediately, warrants would be issue d f o r t h e i r a r r e s t , a t which p o i n t they would be a r r e s t e d and j a i l e d ; (3) the consumers would have t h e i r d r i v e r s ' l i c e n s e s suspended i f they d i d not pay t h e i r debts immediately; and (4) WSA was a law f i r m and/or t h a t the employees were working w i t h lawyers and a law f i r m . I n t r u t h and i n f a c t , these statements were f a l s e and f r a u d u l e n t .

7. I n a d d i t i o n , t o f a l s e l y c r e a t e an appearance of l e g i t i m a c y , and f u r t h e r t r i c k t h e i r v i c t i m s i n t o making payments, employees of WSA, the defendant, r o u t i n e l y used l e g a l t e r m i n o l o g y t o i n v e n t l e g i t i m a t e - s o u n d i n g , b u t completely bogus, e x p l a n a t i o n s f o r the supposed imminent a r r e s t o f the v i c t i m s , i n c l u d i n g f o r example, t h a t the " s t a t u t e o f l i m i t a t i o n s " on the v i c t i m s ' " c i v i l l e g a l r i g h t s " had e x p i r e d and t h e r e f o r e the matter was now a c r i m i n a l matter t h a t c o u l d be r e s o l v e d only by payment o f t h e debt or a r r e s t . F u r t h e r , i n a d d i t i o n t o t e l l i n g v i c t i m s t h a t t h e company was a f f i l i a t e d w i t h t h e f e d e r a l government, employees of WSA also a t times prepared and sent correspondence t o v i c t i m s t h a t made i t appear f a l s e l y t h a t WSA was a f f i l i a t e d w i t h the f e d e r a l government. For example, one document sent t o a v i c t i m contained the s e a l o f the United States Department of State and the f o l l o w i n g language immediately under the s e a l : "Warrant Services A s s o c i a t i o n , A D i v i s i o n o f the Federal Government Task Force." Another document c o n t a i n e d the company name "WSA, LLC" f o l l o w e d by the c a p t i o n : "SERVING THE USDOJ FOR 15 YEAR [ s i c ] STRONG." At times, employees of WSA t o l d v i c t i m s t h a t "WSA" stood f o r "Warrant Services A s s o c i a t i o n . "

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8. I n t o t a l , from i n or about 2009 through i n or about A p r i l 2014, WSA, the defendant, c o l l e c t e d a p p r o x i m a t e ly $4.1 m i l l i o n d o l l a r s from over 6,000 v i c t i m s contacted i n a l l 50 s t a t e s .

9. As p a r t of the i n v e s t i g a t i o n , o t her law enforcement o f f i c e r s and I have, among other t h i n g s : i n t e r v i e w e d v i c t i m s and reviewed hundreds o f complaints f i l e d by v i c t i m s w i t h the Federal Trade Commission ("FTC") and other agencies; recorded a phone c o n v e r s a t i o n between an employee o f WSA, t h e defendant, and a law enforcement o f f i c e r posing as a consumer; and executed a search warrant a t the o f f i c e of WSA i n Norcross, Georgia. During the search of the WSA o f f i c e , o t h e r agents and I recovered, among other t h i n g s , m u l t i p l e s c r i p t s c o n t a i n i n g f a l s e r e p r e s e n t a t i o n s c o n s i s t e n t w i t h those described above, as w e l l as thousands of recorded c a l l s and messages between WSA employees and v i c t i m s . Summaries and excerpts of p o r t i o n s o f s e v e r a l of those c a l l s are set f o r t h below i n paragraphs 25 i t h r o u g h 40.

The Defendants

10. WSA, the defendant, i s a company t h a t has been r e g i s t e r e d t o do business i n Georgia since a t l e a s t 2000. "John W i l l i a m s " was l i s t e d as an o f f i c e r and/or agent of WSA i n 2000 and 2001, and then again i n 2007 through A p r i l 11, 2013. On or about A p r i l 19, 2013, "WSA, LLC" was r e g i s t e r e d w i t h the Nevada S e c r e t a r y o f State w i t h managing members "John W i l l i a m s " and " C h r i s Lenyszyn." Since a t l e a s t 2009, WSA operated as a c o l l e c t i o n agency and employees working on b e h a l f of t h e company attempted t o c o l l e c t a c t u a l or p u r p o r t e d debts from v i c t i m s n a t i o n w i d e usin g the m i s r e p r e s e n t a t i o n s described above.

11. JOHN WILLIAMS, a/k/a "JT," a/k/a "Joe S t e e l e , " t h e defendant, was the owner and manager of WSA, the defendant. I n a d d i t i o n t o r u n n i n g WSA, a f t e r t h a t company was shut down i n or about May 2014 a f t e r a search warrant was executed a t the . company's o f f i c e , he s t a r t e d another debt c o l l e c t i o n company ( " C o l l e c t i o n Company-2") t h a t p u r p o r t s t o c o l l e c t debts and employs many of the same m i s r e p r e s e n t a t i o n s used by WSA.

12. BENITA CANNEDY, a/k/a "Sharon W r i g h t , " RUDY JAMES, a/k/a "Ricky K e l l y , " a/k/a "Robert French," ARTHUR COOK, a/k/a "Ace Rogers," CHRISTOPHER LENYSZYN, a/k/a "Dan M i l l e r , " CLARK SMITH, a/k/a "Mr. C l i n e , " and TITUS MCDOWELL, a/k/a "Mr. McDowell," the defendants, were employees of WSA, the defendant. CANNEDY, JAMES, COOK, LENYSZYN, SMITH and MCDOWELL were debt c o l l e c t o r s who made f a l s e t h r e a t s and o t h e r m i s r e p r e s e n t a t i o n s

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i n an e f f o r t t o convince v i c t i m s t o repay debts, and o f t e n t i m e s , s i g n i f i c a n t l y more money than the v i c t i m s a c t u a l l y owed.

Victim Complaints

13. I have l e a r n e d t h a t t h e r e have been hundreds of co m p l a i n t s f i l e d by v i c t i m s w i t h t h e FTC and o t h e r agencies concer n i n g WSA, the defendant. Based on my review of those c o m p l a i n t s , I have l e a r n e d t h a t v i c t i m s have'received c a l l s from i n d i v i d u a l s c l a i m i n g t o be from " W i l l i a m s Scot t and As s o c i a t e s " (among o t h e r s i m i l a r names, such as " W i l l i a m S c o t t A s s o c i a t e s " ) , who have s t a t e d , i n substance and i n p a r t , and among ot h e r t h i n g s , t h a t :

a. The c a l l e r worked f o r or was i n c o n t a c t w i t h v a r i o u s law enforcement e n t i t i e s such as the Department of J u s t i c e , the U n i t e d States Marshals Service, the s h e r i f f , a "Federal Government Task Force," the FBI, and the "United States Task Force f o r the Department of J u s t i c e , " among o t h e r s ; and

b. The v i c t i m s would be a r r e s t e d i f they d i d not c a l l back and/or pay s p e c i f i e d amounts immediately.

14. I have a l s o read r e p o r t s of i n t e r v i e w s o f v i c t i m s conducted by the FTC. Based on my review o f those r e p o r t s , I have l e a r n e d the f o l l o w i n g , i n substance and i n p a r t :

a. A v i c t i m ("Victim-1") s t a t e d t h a t someone c a l l i n g on b e h a l f of WSA, the defendant, c a l l e d s e v e r a l o f V i c t i m - 1 ' s f a m i l y members asking f o r V i c t i m - 1 m u l t i p l e times. During a c o n v e r s a t i o n w i t h V i c t i m - 1 's son, the i n d i v i d u a l s t a t e d t h a t t h e r e was a warrant out f o r V i c t i m - 1 ' s a r r e s t because he/she had committed f r a u d and owed them money. V i c t i m - 1 c a l l e d and asked "Marcus James," a r e p r e s e n t a t i v e o f WSA, t o send V i c t i m - 1 correspondence t o c o n f i r m t h a t WSA was a l e g i t i m a t e e n t e r p r i s e . "James" t o l d V i c t i m - 1 t h a t i f he/she d i d not comply w i t h t h e i r demand t o pay money back, V i c t i m - 1 would be s u b j e c t t o a r r e s t and imprisonment. V i c t i m - 1 was t o l d t h a t he/she would face f e d e r a l o f f i c e r s and United States Marshals i f V i c t i m - 1 d i d not comply w i t h WSA's requests.

b. Another v i c t i m ("Victim-2") s t a t e d t h a t "Jan Smith" from WSA c a l l e d V i c t i m - 2 ' s home c l a i m i n g t o be i n v e s t i g a t i n g a check f r a u d case. WSA rep r e s e n t e d themselves as an a t t o r n e y ' s o f f i c e t h a t had close t i e s t o a s h e r i f f ' s o f f i c e . "Smith" t o l d V i c t i m - 2 ' s spouse t h a t the s h e r i f f ' s o f f i c e would be p u t t i n g a warrant out f o r the spouse's a r r e s t , which would r e s u l t i n j a i l t i m e . V i c t i m - 2 asked i f he/she co u l d f a x

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i n f o r m a t i o n showing t h a t the check i n q u e s t i o n was not f r a u d u l e n t . "Smith" responded t h a t f a x i n g the i n f o r m a t i o n would make no d i f f e r e n c e and s t a t e d t h a t i f V i c t i m - 2 d i d not pay over $2, 000 immediately, Victim-2''s spouse would be a r r e s t e d .

c. Another v i c t i m ("Victim-3") s t a t e d t h a t , b e g i n n i n g i n or about June 2011, he/she began r e c e i v i n g telephone c a l l s from WSA. Vi c t i m - 3 was t o l d t h a t he/she owed $1,300 t o two d i f f e r e n t c r e d i t o r s and t h a t he/she had committed check f r a u d . The r e p r e s e n t a t i v e t o l d V i c t i m - 3 t h a t i f he/she d i d not make payment arrangements t h a t day, Victim-3 would be a r r e s t e d . V i c t i m - 3 made a $500 payment over the phone. Over a year l a t e r , V i c t i m - 3 r e c e i v e d another telephone c a l l from WSA c l a i m i n g t h a t V i c t i m -3 s t i l l owed money f o r the same loans V i c t i m - 3 was contacted about i n 2011. The r e p r e s e n t a t i v e t h r e a t e n e d t h a t V i c t i m -3 would be a r r e s t e d i f he/she f a i l e d t o make a payment t h a t day.

d. Another v i c t i m ("Victim-4") s t a t e d t h a t V i c t i m - 4 ' s f a t h e r , b r o t h e r , and s i s t e r - i n - l a w r e c e i v e d m u l t i p l e telephone c a l l s from WSA r e g a r d i n g a debt. I n or about August 2012, V i c t i m - 4 c a l l e d WSA and spoke w i t h "Marcus James." "James" claimed t h a t he worked f o r an a t t o r n e y a t WSA and t o l d V i c t i m - 4 t h a t he/she would be a r r e s t e d i f he/she d i d not pay h i s / h e r debt.

e. Another v i c t i m ("Victim-5") s t a t e d t h a t he/she r e c e i v e d a c a l l from "Ricky K e l l y , " who claimed t o work f o r an a t t o r n e y , " W i l l i a m S c o t t . " " K e l l y " claimed t h a t V i c t i m -5's spouse would be a r r e s t e d f o r f r a u d i f they were unable t o pay back a debt from a lo a n the spouse took out s e v e r a l years b e f o r e . " K e l l y " t o l d V i c tim-5 t h a t t h e y would have t o pay over $2,000 t o ensure t h a t Victim-5' s spouse would not be a r r e s t e d . " K e l l y " t o l d V i c t i m - 5 t h a t he/she had f i f t e e n minutes t o make the d e c i s i o n or else the warrant f o r V i c t i m - 5 ' s spouse's a r r e s t would be processed immediately.

15. I have reviewed a summary o f a complaint made by another v i c t i m ("Victim-6") who r e c e i v e d a v o i c e m a i l message from "Ricky K e l l y " o f WSA, the defendant. " K e l l y " claimed, i n substance and i n p a r t , t h a t he was an i n v e s t i g a t o r w i t h the D i s t r i c t A t t o r n e y ' s o f f i c e and t h a t he had contacted Green County i n connection w i t h bank f r a u d committed by V i c t i m - 6 . V i c t i m - 6 was i n s t r u c t e d t o e i t h e r c o n t a c t WSA or surrender h i m s e l f / h e r s e l f . " K e l l y " s a i d t h a t he was a l s o working f o r stopfraud.gov.

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16. I have reviewed records m a i n t a i n e d by another v i c t i m ( " V i c t i m - 7 " ) , as w e l l as the summary of an i n t e r v i e w w i t h V i c t i m - 7 . Based on my review o f those records and t h a t i n f o r m a t i o n , I have l e a r n e d the f o l l o w i n g , i n substance and i n p a r t :

a. I n or about October 2013, Victim- 7 r e c e i v e d s e v e r a l c a l l s and v o i c e m a i l s from " J e f f r e y W i l l i a m s , " who claimed t h a t he worked f o r the f e d e r a l government and t h a t he had a warrant f o r V i c t i m - 7 ' s a r r e s t due t o a payday loan t h a t V i c t i m - 7 had not r e p a i d . V i c t i m - 7 had i n f a c t taken out a payday l o a n w i t h a lende r s e v e r a l years b e f o r e t h a t V i c t i m -7 had not r e p a i d .

b. V i c t i m - 7 c a l l e d the number p r o v i d e d by " J e f f r e y W i l l i a m s , " and a woman answered on b e h a l f o f "Warrant Services A s s o c i a t i o n . "

c. V i c t i m - 7 made a c r e d i t card payment i n the amount o f approximately $5 60.

d. V i c t i m - 7 r e c e i v e d a r e c e i p t v i a e l e c t r o n i c m a i l from a t h i r d p a r t y payment processor (the "Payment Processor"). The r e c e i p t , w i t h s u b j e c t l i n e "WSA, LLC Payment C o n f i r m a t i o n , " s t a t e d "Thank you f o r your payment t o WSA, LLC."

e. I have a l s o reviewed a document emailed t o V i c t i m - 7 , b e a r i n g V i c t i m - 7 ' s name, from "Warrant Services A s s o c i a t i o n , " dated the day of the r e c e i p t from the Payment Processor and l i s t i n g the same amount p a i d as on the r e c e i p t . The document was emailed from t he email account, " l s c o t t @ w s a l l c . n e t , " and p u r p o r t s t o copy "[email protected]." The body of the email l i s t s the name " L a r r y S c o t t , " and the t i t l e "Sr. A t t o r n e y , Warrant Services A s s o c i a t i o n . " The atta c h e d document s t a t e s , "ALLEGATIONS DISMISSED," and continues , "This documentation serves as c o n f i r m a t i o n t h a t the above-mentioned account has been EXPUNGED w i t h the County Processing D i v i s i o n . " At the t o p of the document i's what appears t o me t o be the seal of the United States Department of S t a t e , under which i s w r i t t e n : "Warrant Services A s s o c i a t i o n , A D i v i s i o n o f the Federal Government Task Force." A copy of t h i s l e t t e r i s att a c h e d h e r e t o as E x h i b i t A.

f . I b e l i e v e t h a t the document d e s c r i b e d above i n Paragraph 16.e was f a l s e and f r a u d u l e n t , as i t f a l s e l y i n d i c a t e d t h a t WSA, the defendant, was associa,ted w i t h t h e f e d e r a l government. Moreover, based on my t r a i n i n g and experience as a f e d e r a l law enforcement o f f i c e r , I am unaware of

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any e n t i t y r e f e r r e d t o as the "USDJ Warrant D i v i s i o n . " I n a d d i t i o n , based on a review o f a p u b l i c database of domain name r e g i s t r a t i o n i n f o r m a t i o n , I am aware t h a t t h e r e i s no r e g i s t r a t i o n f o r the domain name " u s d j w a r r a n t d i v i s i o n . g o v . " I t h e r e f o r e b e l i e v e t h a t the email address l i s t e d above f o r "Jason R i v e r s " i s f i c t i t i o u s .

17. I have read a r e p o r t prepared by an i n v e s t i g a t o r who i n t e r v i e w e d a v i c t i m who l i v e s i n New York, New York ( " V i c t i m - 8 " ) , and reviewed documents p r o v i d e d by V i c t i m - 8 , and have l e a r n e d the f o l l o w i n g , i n substance and i n p a r t :

a. Victim-8 o b t a i n e d a $500 payday loan when he/she l i v e d i n F l o r i d a . V ictim- 8 b e l i e v e d t h a t the loan was r e p a i d b e f o r e he/she moved from F l o r i d a t o New York, New York.

b. I n or about the Spring or Summer 2013, w h i l e l i v i n g i n New York, New York, Vi c t i m - 8 r e c e i v e d a telephone c a l l f r om a female i d e n t i f y i n g h e r s e l f as " D e t e c t i v e Smith" or " D e t e c t i v e White" who t o l d V i ctim- 8 t h a t t h e r e was a warran t f o r V i c t i m - 8 ' s a r r e s t because of the unpaid payday loan.

c. The " d e t e c t i v e " e x p l a i n e d t o Victim-8 t h a t he/she committed a " f e d e r a l f e l o n y " because Victim-8 had closed h i s / h e r checking account and moved t o a d i f f e r e n t s t a t e thereby p r e v e n t i n g payment t o be drawn on h i s / h e r account f o r the s u b j e c t l o a n . The " d e t e c t i v e " demanded t h a t Victim-8 pay the f u l l amount and, i f he/she d i d n o t , V i c t i m - 8 would be a r r e s t e d and taken back t o F l o r i d a . The " d e t e c t i v e " threatened t o a r r e s t V i c t i m - 8 a t h i s / h e r home or work. The " d e t e c t i v e " s a i d t h a t the warrant would be c a n c e l l e d i f a payment was made.

d. Victim-8 was c a l l e d a second time by the " d e t e c t i v e " and agreed t o arrange payment. Victim-8 was t r a n s f e r r e d t o "Mr. F r i t z " t o set up a payment p l a n . V i c t i m - 8 completed t h e payments and r e c e i v e d a r e c e i p t from WSA, the defendant ( l i s t e d as "WSA, LLC"), dated November 29, 2013, i n d i c a t i n g a zero balance. V i c t i m - 8 s t a t e d t h a t he/she had made app r o x i m a t e l y $1,000 i n payments f o r the o r i g i n a l $500 l o a n .

e. The r e c e i p t sent t o Vi c t i m - 8 was addressed t o V i c t i m - 8 a t an address i n New York, New York.

The Search of the WSA O f f i c e

18. On or about May 29, 2014, o t h e r law enforcement agents and I executed a search warrant a t an o f f i c e b e l o n g i n g t o WSA, the defendant, i n Norcross, Georgia (the "Premises").

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Among o t h e r documents t h a t were recovered were numerous documents t h a t appear t o be l i s t s of employees and a l i a s e s . The documents c o n t a i n t a b l e s w i t h the f o l l o w i n g columns, among o t h e r s : "Employee Name" and "Dunning Name."''' Based on my review of the employee l i s t s , I have l e a r n e d o f the f o l l o w i n g "Dunning Names" or a l i a s e s , among o t h e r s , f o r employees o f WSA:

Employee Name Dunning Name A r t h u r Cook In v . Ace Rogers Be n i t a Cannedy Inv . Sharon Wright Chris Lenyszyn Dan M i l l e r C l a r k Smith Mr. C l i n e Rudy James Ricky K e l l y Ty McDowell Mr. McDowell Todd(JT) JT

19. During the search of the Premises, law enforcement agents a l s o recovered numerous documents t h a t appear t o be s c r i p t s f o r employees o f WSA, the defendant, t o use d u r i n g c a l l s w i t h v i c t i m s (the " S c r i p t s " ) . The S c r i p t s c o n t a i n numerous m i s r e p r e s e n t a t i o n s , i n c l u d i n g t h r e a t s of c r i m i n a l charges and/or a r r e s t s , and a s s o c i a t i o n s w i t h the government and/or a t t o r n e y s . For example, the S c r i p t s i n c l u d e the f o l l o w i n g :

a. " F a i l u r e t o respond w i l l l e a d t o c r i m i n a l charges being pursued."

b. "This i s i n v e s t i g a t o r I c a l l i n g [ s i c ] i n r e f e r e n c e t o a complaint t h a t has been f i l e d t hrough the n a t i o n a l check f r a u d c e n t e r were [ s i c ] t h a t s t a t e d t h a t they have sent correspondents [ s i c ] t o as w e l l and you have not responsed [ s i c ] which has made your s t a t u e [ s i c ] of l i m i t a t i o n s f o r your c i v i l l e g a l r i g h t s exhaust. That means t h a t you are being pursued f o r one count of t h e f t by deception and can be forwarded over t o the l o c a l county f o r proceedings t o s t a r t . "

c. "This message i s f o r . My name i s from the i n v e s t i g a t i o n s e r v i c e s of WSA. C u r r e n t l y t h e r e

i s a c r i m i n a l complaint pending a g a i n s t you f o r t h e f t o f

Based on my t r a i n i n g , experience and f a m i l i a r i t y w i t h t h i s i n v e s t i g a t i o n , I am aware t h a t "dunning" r e f e r s t o the making of repeated demands f o r the payment of a debt. ^ Another name t h a t appears, l i k e l y as an a l i a s , on documents recovered from the Premises, i s " J e f f r e y W i l l i a m s . "

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s e r v i c e s . We a t h e r e f o r e we do o f f i c e as soon Ext Than charges pe rsude county."

F a i l u r e t o respond w i l l l e a d t o c r i m i n a l

d. "This i s Tina Rogers, Sr. P a r a l e g a l w/ WSA. We are c o n t r a c t e d by the US Gov. . . . C r i m i n a l complaint has been f i l e d . I t ' s a Class A f e l o n y pending a g a i n s t you f o r t h e f t o f Property/Serv./Deception. I f you would l i k e t o r e s o l v e t h i s m a t t e r B4 [ b e f o r e ] we go ahead w/ the l e g a l proceedings you may do so today o n l y . "

e. " H e l l o , t h i s i s Mr. McDowell, Senior Claims C o o r d i n a t o r c e r t i f i e d w i t h the Government Task Force. Message i s s o l e l y i n t e n d e d f o r Mr/Mr. r e g a r d i n g l e g a l a l l e g a t i o n s which r e q u i r e your statement on b e h a l f of t h i s m a t t e r . . . ."

f . "This i s . This c a l l i s i n regards t o case # . The US Dept. of J u s t i c e has r e c e i v e d n o t i c e from the N a t i o n a l Crime I n f o r m a t i o n Center t o iss u e an a l e r t on a SSN ending i n . , of

has 2 a f f i d a v i t s o f f r a u d due t o be expedite d today as a r e s u l t of the s t a t u t e of l i m i t a t i o n s e x p i r i n g . At 4pm easter n time f e l o n y warrants w i l l be a c t i v a t e d and any e x i s t i n g d r i v e r s l i s c e n s e [ s i c ] w i l l be suspended e f f e c t i v e immediately. For an o p p o r t u n i t y t o r e s o l v e t h i s matter o u t s i d e o f c o u r t c o n t a c t W i l l i a m s S c o t t Bureau of I n v e s t i g a t i o n s [phone number] e x t 134."

g. "This message i s f o r . My name i s Jackie Atwater, I n v e s t i g a t i o n s Locator w i t h the law f i r m o f WSA. This i s a Class A misdemeanor pending a g a i n s t you f o r l a r c e n y o f p r o p e r t y . "

h. "Contracted through 4 6 s t a t e s . . . . Charges haven't been f i l e d y e t . . . . G e n e r a l l y , they do not accept payment p l a n s . I f you want t o do payment plans you can do so once you're on p r o b a t i o n . "

20. Among o t h e r documents recovered from the Premises pursuant t o the search warrant are numerous " C o l l e c t o r Payment Forms" t h a t l i s t , among ot h e r i n f o r m a t i o n , the " O r i g i n a l Acct. Balance" and "Overage Amount." The forms a l s o l i s t "% o f Payment," which i s l i s t e d a t 30%, and "% o f Overage," which i s l i s t e d a t 40%. Based i n p a r t on these documents, I b e l i e v e t h a t employees of WSA, the defendant, were encouraged t o misrepresent the amount of money t h a t debtors owed. Employees were

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compensated a t 30% o f the amount c o l l e c t e d up t o the a c t u a l amount owed, and were p a i d 4 0% o f any payment above the amount t h a t was a c t u a l l y owed.

21. C e r t a i n of the S c r i p t s t h a t were recovered from t h e Premises were found i n an o f f i c e t h a t I b e l i e v e belonged t o JOHN TODD WILLIAMS, a/k/a "JT," a/k/a "Joe S t e e l e , " the defendant (the "JTW Of f i c e " ) . ' ^ Among the S c r i p t s t h a t were found i n the JTW O f f i c e , were the f o l l o w i n g , among o t h e r s :

a. A "Standard Message" s c r i p t t h a t s t a t e s : "This message i s meant s o l e l y f o r (debtor's f u l l name). This i s Joe Steele c a l l i n g from W i l l i a m s , S c o t t & Assoc., I am c a l l i n g r e g a r d i n g your case which we are proce s s i n g i n our o f f i c e , case number . Our law o f f i c e w i l l be making f i n a l d e t e r m i n a t i o n [ s i c ] r e g a r d i n g your case, i t i s i m p e r a t i v e t h a t you c o n t a c t t h i s law o f f i c e t o have any i n p u t r e g a r d i n g these d e c i s i o n s . . . . I t i s i m p e r a t i v e you cont a c t t h i s law o f f i c e w i t h i n 24 hours."^

b. A s c r i p t t h a t i n c l u d e s the f o l l o w i n g : "My name i s w i t h W i l l i a m , S c o t t & Associates. Our o f f i c e f a c i l i t a t e s l e g a l complaints by l o c a t i n g i n d i v i d u a l s , f i l i n g summons, requests f o r warrants and conducting background checks. . . . [Our c l i e n t has] asked us t o i n v e s t i g a t e your l o c a t i o n and whereabouts f o r a summons on a l a w s u i t a l l e g i n g a check f r a u d and i f necessary, request t h a t a warrant be issued a g a i n s t you i n order t o b r i n g t h i s m a t t e r before the c o u r t s . "

^ Among o t h e r reasons t h a t I b e l i e v e t h a t the o f f i c e i n which the documents r e f e r e n c e d i n t h i s paragraph were found belonged t o JOHN TODD WILLIAMS, a/k/a "JT," a/k/a "Joe S t e e l e , " t h e defendant, are the nature of c e r t a i n of the documents found. For example, t h e r e are se v e r a l p r i n t o u t s of email messages t o "John W i l l i a m s " t h a t have the name "John W i l l i a m s " i n b o l d a t t h e top. Based on my experience, when emails are p r i n t e d out from M i c r o s o f t Outlook, the name of the email account from which t h e email i s p r i n t e d i s l i s t e d i n b o l d a t the top of the p r i n t o u t . I t h e r e f o r e b e l i e v e t h a t those documents, found i n th e o f f i c e , were p r i n t e d out from WILLIAMS'S email account. I n a d d i t i o n , o t h e r documents found i n t h e o f f i c e i n c l u d e bankruptcy documents f o r a bankruptcy proceeding t i t l e d , " I n r e W i l l i a m s , John T," numerous powers of a t t o r n e y signed by "John W i l l i a m s , " and m a i l and o t h e r correspondence addressed t o "John W i l l i a m s . " ^ As desc r i b e d below, I am aware t h a t "John S t e e l e , " i s an a l i a s used by JOHN WILLIAMS, a/k/a "JT," a/k/a "Joe S t e e l e , " the defendant.

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c. A s c r i p t l i s t i n g the name "Joe S t e e l e , " and i n c l u d i n g the f o l l o w i n g i n s t r u c t i o n s :

i . I f the i n d i v i d u a l does not want t o pay: "ARE YOU FIMILAR [ s i c ] WITH THE LAW IN COUNTY ABOUT WRITING A BAD CHECK THEN GIVE THEM 4 8 HOURS TO PAY THEN SLAM THE PHONE IN THERE [ s i c ] FACE!!!!" or "YOU SAY ... YOU GOT 48 HOURS TO PAY THE BILL AND WHEN YOU DON'T PAY WE PROCEED AGAINST YOU IMMEDIATELY ... THEN HANG UP!"

i i . "WHEN THEY'RE COOPERATING . . . THIS IS WERE [ s i c ] YOU GET CREATIVE . . . LET THEM KNOW . . . WRITING A BAD CHECK IS A CRIME . . . ."

i i i . " I F WE DON'T RECEIVE PAYMENT I WILL HAVE TO NOTE YOUR CASE AS A DIRECT REFUSAL TO PAY ON A JUST AND LEGAL DEBT. THEN FORWARD IT MY ATTY FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION . . ."

d. A h a n d w r i t t e n s c r i p t t h a t says, a t the top, " I don't want t o put a l a w s u i t a g a i n s t you. Don't malce me c a l l my f r i e n d s at the ( F B I ) . "

e. An example " t a l k o f f " s c r i p t t h a t begins: "This i s Joe Ste e l e w i t h W i l l i a m s , Scot t and Ass o c i a t e s . I'm the Chief I n v e s t i g a t o r here i n the Fraud Dept. . . . Do you know what the law i s i n your State r e g a r d i n g a bad Check. I t ' s considered c r i m i n a l . "

f . A "power t a l k o f f s c r i p t " t h a t begins: "THIS IS JOE STEELE WITH THE LAW OFFICE WILLIAMS SCOTT & ASSOC, I'M ONE OF THE UNIT MANAGERS HERE, YOUR *** HAS BEEN TRANSFERRED TO OUR OFFICE FOR IMMEDIATE PROCESS AND LITIGATION."

g. A h a n d w r i t t e n s c r i p t t h a t p r o v i d e s : "My name i s Mariea M i t c h e l l , L i t i g a t i o n S p e c i a l i s t f o r WSA. I am c a l l i n g i n r e f e r e n c e t o an i n v e s t i g a t i o n o f an [ s i c ] c r i m i n a l complaint t h a t i s pending a g a i n s t you. . . . Now l e t me g i v e u your case number so once I t r a n s f e r t h i s c a l l t h e i n v e s t i g a t o r h a n d l i n g your case h i s name i s Sr. I n v e s t o r g a t o r [ s i c ] Ace Rogers . . . . Who are we? We are a government t a s k f o r c e set up t o i n v e s t i g a t e and c o l l e c t i n f o on i n d i v i d u a l s i n v o l v e d i n Depos i t o r y Account Fraud and t h e f t by deception."^

^ The s c r i p t l i s t s t h e name of a c o - c o n s p i r a t o r n o t named as a defendant h e r e i n , who, based on the employee l i s t s r eferenced above, used the a l i a s "Cathy Davis." "Mariea M i t c h e l l " i s a

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h. A d d i t i o n a l h a n d w r i t t e n s c r i p t s t h a t r e f e rence a r r e s t warrants being issued.

22. I n a d d i t i o n t o the S c r i p t s found i n the JTW O f f i c e , o t h e r documents recovered from the JTW O f f i c e i n c l u d e the f o l l o w i n g , among o t h e r s :

a. A document dated A p r i l 1, 2014 t i t l e d "Complaint Dismissed," sent t o an i n d i v i d u a l i n d i c a t i n g t h a t he had p a i d $300. The document header i n c l u d e s the e n t i t y name "WSA, LLC" a t an address i n Texas w i t h a c e r t a i n telephone number ("Telephone Number-1"). Underneath the company name i s the c a p t i o n , "SERVING THE USDOJ FOR 15 YEAR [ s i c ] STRONG," and above the company name i s what appears t o be the s e a l o f the U n i t e d States Department of S t a t e . A copy of t h i s l e t t e r i s a t t a c h e d h e r e t o as E x h i b i t B.

b. A p o s t - i t note on which "W S A" i s w r i t t e n w i t h "Warrant Services A s s o c i a t i o n s [ s i c ] " w r i t t e n underneath.

c. A h a n d w r i t t e n l i s t o f 27 phone numbers (some l i s t e d as "New," others l i s t e d as "Old") on a s c r i p t f o r "WSA" (the " L i s t e d WSA Phone Numbers"). I b e l i e v e , based on my t r a i n i n g , experience and f a m i l i a r i t y w i t h the i n v e s t i g a t i o n , t h a t the reason t h a t WSA, the defendant, used so many phone numbers was because of repeated p u b l i c i z e d complaints by v i c t i m s of the f r a u d .

23. I have reviewed records from a "Voice Over I n t e r n e t P r o t o c o l " or "VOIP" s e r v i c e p r o v i d e r ^ (the "VOIP Prov i d e r " ) and have lea r n e d t h a t as o f February 2014, Telephone Number-1 and a l l but one of the L i s t e d WSA Phone Numbers were assigned t o an account subscribe d t o i n the name "MR JOHN 'WILLIAMS, WSA LLC" (the "VOIP Account") and the l i s t e d address was the Premises. At t h a t t i m e , t h e r e were over 60 phone numbers a s s o c i a t e d w i t h the VOIP Account.

"Dunning name" f o r a d i f f e r e n t i n d i v i d u a l on c e r t a i n o f the employee l i s t s r e f e r e n c e d above. ^ Based on my t r a i n i n g and experience, I am aware t h a t VOIP i s a technology through which voice and o t h e r communications can be t r a n s m i t t e d over the i n t e r n e t . E s s e n t i a l l y , VOIP s e r v i c e p r o v i d e r s a l l o w f o r telephone s e r v i c e s t o be p r o v i d e d through e l e c t r o n i c hardware, such as computers, over the i n t e r n e t .

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The Recorded C a l l s with Victims

24. I n a d d i t i o n , law enforcement agents a l s o recovered from the Premises e l e c t r o n i c media t h a t contained r e c o r d i n g s of thousands of c a l l s between v i c t i m s and employees of WSA, the defendant (the "Recorded Phone C a l l s " ) . The r e c o r d i n g s are s t o r e d as e l e c t r o n i c f i l e s w i t h f i l e names t h a t appear t o me t o c o n t a i n the date and time of the recorded telephone c a l l . For example, I b e l i e v e t h a t a r e c o r d i n g w i t h t he filename "OUT136-20140521-105718-1400684238.6662," i s a r e c o r d i n g of an outgoing telephone c a l l t h a t occurred a t 10:57 a.m. on May 21, 2014. As discussed more f u l l y below, i n r e v i e w i n g c e r t a i n of the Recorded Phone C a l l s , I have heard employees make many of the f a l s e and f r a u d u l e n t r e p r e s e n t a t i o n s discussed above. Several of the recorded c a l l s are d e s c r i b e d below.

Benita Cannedy, a/k/a "Sharon Wright"

25. Based on my review of c e r t a i n of the Recorded Phone C a l l s , I have l e a r n e d the f o l l o w i n g , i n substance and i n p a r t :

a. On or about May 21, 2014, a t approximately 10:50 a.m., "Sharon Wright" c a l l e d a v i c t i m ( " V i c t i m - 9 " ) . Based on my review of the r e c o r d i n gs of the c o n v e r s a t i o n (the c o n v e r s a t i o n o c c u r r e d i n two p a r t s a f t e r the i n i t i a l c a l l was d i s c o n n e c t e d ) , the f o l l o w i n g , i n substance and i n p a r t , took p l a c e :

i . The c a l l e r i d e n t i f i e d h e r s e l f as "Chief I n v e s t i g a t o r Sharon W r i g h t " and t o l d V i c t i m - 9 t h a t she was i n v e s t i g a t i n g a c r i m i n a l complaint t h a t had been forwarded a g a i n s t V i c t i m - 9 .

i i . " Wright" t o l d V i c t i m - 9 t h a t they "were i n t he process o f proceeding a g a i n s t you l e g a l l y , " and t h a t " p r i o r t o f o r w a r d i n g t o your l o c a l a u t h o r i t i e s and i n r e t u r n them i s s u i n g a warrant f o r your a r r e s t , " "Wright" wanted t o get a statement from V i c t i m - 9 .

i i i . " W right" t o l d V i c t i m - 9 t h a t she was c o l l e c t i n g a payday loan t h a t V i c t i m - 9 had p r e v i o u s l y obtained and t h a t the c u r r e n t balance was $819.04.

i v . When Vic t i m - 9 t o l d "Wright" t h a t V i c t i m - 9 was not working, "Wright" responded t h a t she had no choice but t o f o r w a r d the case t o Los Angeles County and t h a t

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Los Angeles County would issue a warrant f o r Victim-9's a r r e s t f o r " d e p o s i t o r y check f r a u d " and " t h e f t by de c e p t i o n . "

V. At one p o i n t , "Wright" put V i c t i m - 9 on h o l d so t h a t she could " t a l k w i t h the a t t o r n e y . " When she r e t u r n e d t o the c a l l , "Wright" s a i d t h a t i f V i c t i m -9 p r o v i d e d her checking i n f o r m a t i o n t o "Wright," she would be able t o h o l d "the d r i v e r ' s l i c e n s e suspension as w e l l as the wa r r a n t . "

v i . When V i c t i m - 9 asked whether she could make a payment a t Los Angeles County, "Wright" s a i d t h a t once the case gets forwarded t o Los Angeles County, a l l they w i l l do i s i s s u e a warrant f o r Victim-9's a r r e s t . "Wright" then s a i d t h a t i f V i c t i m - 9 wanted t o " r e c t i f y " the s i t u a t i o n on a v o l u n t a r y b a s i s , then V i c t i m - 9 should pay "us." I f i t was not taken care o f v o l u n t a r i l y , however, t he case would be forwarded t o Los Angeles County a t which p o i n t V i c t i m - 9 would have t o " t u r n [ h e r s e l f ] i n . "

v i i . V i c t i m - 9 then t o l d "Wright" t h a t she was going through the bankruptcy process, and "Wright" responded t h a t bankruptcy would not cover the " l e g a l aspects" of the amount owed.

v i i i . When V i c t i m - 9 asked f o r customer s e r v i c e , "Wright" responded: "Customer s e r v i c e? Ma'am you're on the way t o j a i l . " V i c t i m - 9 asked t o see i n f o r m a t i o n t o ensure t h a t e v e r y t h i n g was l e g i t i m a t e , and "W r i g h t " responded, "Don't take care of i t , and y o u ' l l see j u s t how l e g i t i t i s . " V i c t i m - 9 then s a i d t h a t she wanted t o take care o f the debt and t h a t she was e i g h t months pregnant and d i d not want t o go t o j a i l . " W r i g h t " then responded, "I'm not going t o go back and f o r t h . I wouldn't care i f you were nine months pregnant. I have a j o b t o do here."

i x . "Wright" t o l d V i c t i m - 9 t h a t " W r i g h t " would have i n f o r m a t i o n sent by e l e c t r o n i c m a i l and t h a t V i c t i m - 9 would then have two hours t o c a l l back, and t h a t i f V i c t i m - 9 d i d not c a l l back i n two hours, the a t t o r n e y would then f o r w a r d t he case t o Los Angeles County f o r an a r r e s t w a r r a n t t o be issued .

26. Another law enforcement agent and I have i n t e r v i e w e d BENITA CANNEDY, a/k/a "Sharon W r i g h t , " the defendant. During t he i n t e r v i e w , CANNEDY s t a t e d t h a t she used the name "Sharon W r i g h t " w h i l e working a t WSA, the defendant. CANNEDY also s t a t e d , i n substance and i n p a r t , t h a t i f debtors claimed t h a t CANNEDY s t a t e d t h a t 'she had a warrant a g a i n s t them, then t h e debtors were l y i n g .

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27. Based on my i n t e r v i e w w i t h BENITA CANNEDY, a/k/a "Sharon W r i g h t , " the defendant, I have become f a m i l i a r w i t h CANNEDY's voic e and i t appears t o me t h a t the voice on the recorded telephone c o n v e r s a t i o n discussed i n paragraph 25.a i s CANNEDY's.

Rudy James, a/k/a "Ricky K e l l y , " a/k/a ̂ 'Robert French"

28. Based on my review of c e r t a i n o f the Recorded Phone C a l l s , I have l e a r n e d the f o l l o w i n g , i n substance and i n p a r t :

a. On or about May 22, 2014, a t approximately 6:04 p.m., "Mr. French" r e c e i v e d a c a l l from a v i c t i m ("Victim-10") . Based on my review o f the r e c o r d i n g s o f the c o n v e r s a t i o n (the c o n v e r s a t i o n occurred i n two p a r t s a f t e r the i n i t i a l c a l l was d i s c o n n e c t e d ) , the f o l l o w i n g , i n substance and i n p a r t , took p l a c e :

i . "Mr. French" t o l d Victim-10 t h a t he had "a r e s t i t u t i o n " of $2,549.40. When Victim-10 t o l d "Mr. French" t h a t V i c t i m-1 0 thought he had p a i d the debt w i t h a c r e d i t card, "Mr. French" t o l d , V ictim-10 t h a t , "when you f i l e f o r an ADR, you can't use a debt i n s t r u m e n t t o pay a debt." "Mr. French" went on t o e x p l a i n t h a t "we have t o f i l e f o r an A l t e r n a t i v e Dispute R e s o l u t i o n , " a t which p o i n t a l l o t h e r c r e d i t o r s w i l l be "closed o u t . "

i i . V i ctim-10 t o l d "Mr. French" t h a t he had checked and had a zero balance. "Mr. French" t o l d him t h a t he s t i l l had t o w r i t e a check. Victim-10 asked whether he should c o n t a c t an a t t o r n e y because he could not a f f o r d t o go t o j a i l and "Mr. French" t o l d V ictim-10 t h a t Victim-10 d i d not need an a t t o r n e y unless the a t t o r n e y was going t o pay the debt f o r him.

i i i . "Mr. French" t o l d Victim-10 t h a t t h e r e was between 200% and 400% i n t e r e s t on h i s debt and t h a t t h e r e was a " s t a t u t e o f l i m i t a t i o n s " on e v e r y t h i n g .

i v . When Victim-10 t o l d "Mr. French" t h a t he d i d not have enough money t o pay immediately, and was o n l y asking f o r documentation of the debt, "Mr. French" t o l d V i c t i m -10 t h a t sending t he documentation would not stop the warrant from b e i n g processed. "Mr. French" s a i d t h a t once he hung up the phone, he would put the case i n t o " r e f u s a l s t a t u s . " "Mr. French" s a i d t h a t has going t o forwa r d the case and t h a t V i c t i m -10 should have h i s a t t o r n e y c o n t a c t the o f f i c e t o set up an

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arraignment. "Mr. French" t o l d Victim-10 t h a t he was going t o have t o send out the case f o r an a r r e s t w a r r a n t .

29. Another law enforcement agent and I have i n t e r v i e w e d RUDY JAMES, "Ricky K e l l y , " a/k/a "Robert French," the defendant. During the i n t e r v i e w , JAMES s t a t e d , i n substance and i n p a r t :

a. JAMES used the a l i a s e s "Frank O'Brien" and "Rob French" w h i l e working a t WSA, the defendant.

b. JAMES t o l d debtors t h a t he was a p a r a l e g a l or i n v e s t i g a t o r .

c. JAMES used "scare t a c t i c s , " i n c l u d i n g t h r e a t s o f a r r e s t , i n order t o c o l l e c t debts, even though he knew t h a t the t h r e a t s were u n s u b s t a n t i a t e d and were wrong.

d. JAMES a l s o s a i d t h a t he had sent a l e t t e r t o debtors t h a t p u r p o r t e d t o be on government l e t t e r h e a d .

e. JAMES was working as a debt c o l l e c t o r a t C o l l e c t i o n Company-2.

30. Based on my i n t e r v i e w w i t h RUDY JAMES, "Ricky K e l l y , " a/k/a "Robert French," the defendant, I have become f a m i l i a r w i t h JAMES's v o i c e and i t appears t o me t h a t the voice on the recorded telephone c o n v e r s a t i o n discussed i n paragraph 28.a i s JAMES'S.

Arthur Cook, a/k/a "Ace Rogers"

31. I have l i s t e n e d t o a v o i c e m a i l l e f t f o r another v i c t i m ("Victim-11") from "Senior I n v e s t i g a t o r Rogers," on or about A p r i l 10, 2012. I n t h a t v o i c e m a i l message, "Senior I n v e s t i g a t o r Rogers" s t a t e d , i n substance and i n p a r t , t h a t :

a. He was c e r t i f i e d by the " U n i t e d States Governmental Task Force," and t h a t Victim-11's f i l e had been forwarded t o him r e g a r d i n g " t h e f t by d e c e p t i o n " a l l e g a t i o n s .

b. He and " A t t o r n e y S c o t t " were prepared t o " s i g n o f f " on Victim-11's f i l e and "get i t over t o H a r r i s County" t o "have you p i c k e d up."

32. Based on my review of c e r t a i n o f the Recorded Phone C a l l s , I have l e a r n e d the f o l l o w i n g , i n substance and i n p a r t :

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a. On or about May 20, 2014, a t approximatel y 11:10 a.m., "Ace Rogers" r e c e i v e d a telephone c a l l from a v i c t i m ( " V i c t i m - 1 2 " ) . Based on my review of the r e c o r d i n g of the c o n v e r s a t i o n , the f o l l o w i n g , i n substance and i n p a r t , took p l a c e :

i . "Rogers" i n t r o d u c e d h i m s e l f as "Senior I n v e s t i g a t o r Ace Rogers, head o f the Fraud D i v i s i o n . "

i i . "Rogers" s t a t e d t h a t "any case t h a t I work has t o be forwarded over t o the l o c a l county on t h a t day" and an a r r e s t warrant would then be issued w i t h a judge's consent.

i i i . V i c t i m - 12 p r o v i d e d her husband's name and "Rogers" s t a t e d t h a t V i c tim-12' s husband was being pursued f o r a " t h e f t by r e c e i v i n g " charge t o be forwarded t o the l o c a l county and processed f o r a w a r r a n t . I f her husband was "d e t a i n e d by county s h e r i f f s , he would have t o s i t i n r e f o r m a t o r y " u n t i l he was t r i e d .

i v . "Rogers" r e f e r r e d t o notes from a " p a r a l e g a l " and i n d i c a t e d t h a t the " s t a t u t e o f l i m i t a t i o n s " had e x p i r e d f o r Victim-12's husband's " c i v i l l e g a l r i g h t s . "

V. "Rogers" t o l d Victim-12 t h a t , i n the Sta t e o f Texas, anything over $1,000 a f t e r the s t a t u t e o f l i m i t a t i o n s e x p i r e d was a c r i m i n a l o f f e n s e .

v i . V i c t i m - 12 t o l d "Rogers" t h a t they had r e t a i n e d an a t t o r n e y and were i n the process o f f i l i n g f o r bankruptcy. "Rogers" t o l d V i c t i m - 1 2 t h a t the "worst case s c e n a r i o " was t h a t they would seek garnishment o f wages but t h a t t h e " a t t o r n e y t h i n g " would not work now. When Victim-12 t o l d "Rogers" t h a t he was t r y i n g t o scare them, "Rogers" t o l d V i c t i m -12 t h a t her husband would need a c r i m i n a l a t t o r n e y .

b. On or about May 22, 2014, a t approximately 3:20 p.m., "Ace Rogers" r e c e i v e d a telephone c a l l from a v i c t i m ( " V i c t i m - 1 3 " ) . Based on my review of the r e c o r d i n g o f the c o n v e r s a t i o n , the f o l l o w i n g , i n substance and i n p a r t , took p l a c e :

i . "Rogers" i n t r o d u c e d h i m s e l f as "Senior I n v e s t i g a t o r Ace Rogers, head o f the Fraud D i v i s i o n . "

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i i . "Rogers" r e f e r r e d t o notes from a " p a r a l e g a l " and i n d i c a t e d t h a t the " s t a t u t e of l i m i t a t i o n s " had ex p i r e d f o r h i s " c i v i l l e g a l r i g h t s " on what was a c i v i l matter.

i i i . "Rogers" i n d i c a t e d t h a t Victim-13's case was t o be forwarded "today" f o r a p o s s i b l e warrant f o r Victim-13's a r r e s t .

i v . " R e s t i t u t i o n " was the o n l y t h i n g t h a t c ould prevent the case from being forwarded t o a judge t o s i g n o f f on the warrant.

V. "Rogers" s t a t e d t h a t a n y t h i n g over $1,000 i n the State of C a l i f o r n i a was a c r i m i n a l o f f e n s e , and t h a t Victim-13 owed $1,857.12. "Rogers" s t a t e d t h a t the amount was due t o i n t e r e s t , l a t e fees, " s t a t u t e of l i m i t a t i o n s f e e s , " and a t t o r n e y fees.

v i . "Rogers" s t a t e d t h a t the n o t a t i o n s from the p a r a l e g a l i n d i c a t e t h a t Victim-13's bank account was closed. Because the bank account was closed, " t h a t ' s when your s t a t u t e of l i m i t a t i o n s k i c k e d i n t o e f f e c t . . . . That's i l l e g a l . "

v i i . "Rogers" s t a t e d t h a t , g e n e r a l l y , cases were o n l y i n the o f f i c e f o r e i g h t hours b e f o r e a judge signs o f f on the warrant t o "present you f o r the county s h e r i f f s . "

v i i i . When Victim-13 s t a t e d t h a t she was on l y able t o a f f o r d a $25 monthly payment, "Rogers" s t a t e d t h a t " t h i s i s n ' t a c o l l e c t i o n m a t t e r . . . . You're d e a l i n g w i t h charges." Victim-13 then s t a t e d t h a t she d i d not have more money and "Rogers" t o l d Victim-13 t o p u l l her d r i v e r ' s l i c e n s e out and t h a t i t would then be f l a g g e d f o r suspension.

i x . "Roger warrant could be "not o n l y f o r also can proceed t o g i v e you 90 f a c i l i t y . "

s" t o l d Victim-13 t h a t her home, school or work, but they days t o s i x months i n a county

33. Another law enforcement agent and I have i n t e r v i e w e d ARTHUR COOK, a/k/a "Ace Rogers," the defendant. During the i n t e r v i e w , COOK s t a t e d the f o l l o w i n g , i n substance and i n p a r t :

a. COOK used the name "Senior I n v e s t i g a t o r Rogers" w h i l e working a t WSA, the defendant.

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b. COOK d i d not t e l l debtors t h a t they were going t o j a i l or had a warrant f o r not paying t h e i r debt.

c. COOK t o l d debtors t h a t t h e i r debt would be t u r n e d over t o the county which would increase the debt. COOK would say t h a t once the debt was forwarded t o the c o u r t , t h a t i t was i n the judge's hands.

d. COOK was unaware o f any debt t h a t was ever t u r n e d over t o the c o u r t s .

e. COOK read on the i n t e r n e t t h a t WSA was a f r a u d .

34. Based on my i n t e r v i e w w i t h ARTHUR COOK, a/k/a "Ace Rogers," the defendant, I have become f a m i l i a r w i t h COOK's vo i c e and i t appears t o me t h a t the vo i c e on the recorded v o i c e m a i l and telephone conversations discussed i n paragraphs 31, 32.a, and 32.b i s COOK's.

Christopher Lenyszyn, a/k/a "Dan M i l l e r "

35. Based on my review o f c e r t a i n o f the Recorded Phone C a l l s , I have lea r n e d the f o l l o w i n g , i n substance and i n p a r t :

a. On or about May 19, 2014, a t approximately 9:04 p.m., "Dan M i l l e r " r e c e i v e d a telephone c a l l from a v i c t i m ( " V i c t i m - 1 4 " ) . Based on my review o f the r e c o r d i n g of t h e c o n v e r s a t i o n , the f o l l o w i n g , i n substance and i n p a r t , took p l a c e :

i . " M i l l e r " t o l d Victim-14 t h a t he was an i n v e s t i g a t o r f o r "WSA" and was i n v e s t i g a t i n g " t h e f t of s e r v i c e s . " " M i l l e r " e x p l a i n e d t h a t "what we do i s we issu e w a r r a n t s and we do the suspension o f d r i v e r ' s l i c e n s e over here."

i i . Victim-14 t o l d " M i l l e r " about a pre v i o u s c a l l t h a t he had r e c e i v e d t h a t he b e l i e v e d was a scam, bu t because when "you c a l l e d me and I heard . . . you co u l d put out a warrant . . . then I r e a l i z e d i t was the r e a l t h i n g . "

i i i . " M i l l e r " t o l d Victim-14 t h a t t h e t o t a l amount owed was $1,155.66 and t h a t Victim-14 needed t o make a 50% down payment.

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i v . Victim-14 then asked whether, i f he was unable t o pay the 50% t h a t n i g h t , he would have an a r r e s t w arrant i s s u e d f o r him the next day. " M i l l e r " responded t h a t i t c o u l d be a suspension of Victim-14's d r i v e r ' s l i c e n s e or a w a r r a n t and t h a t "you don't want any s u r p r i s e s e i t h e r a t the house or work, e s p e c i a l l y when i t comes t o t h a t , your business your f a m i l y and a l l t h a t . "

V. " M i l l e r " s a i d t h a t " i t ' s not a scam. They're f o r r e a l . "

v i . When Victim-14 asked i f he c o u l d have more t i m e , " M i l l e r " t o l d Victim-14 t h a t "she" had c o u r t i n the morning and so " M i l l e r " could buy some time u n t i l the f o l l o w i n g day a f t e r "she" r e t u r n e d from c o u r t . " M i l l e r " then t o l d V i c t i m -14 t h a t he worked " a t t o r n e y hours," namely 9:00 a.m. t o 5:00 p.m.

b. On or about May 28, 2014, a t approximately 2:41 p.m., "Dan M i l l e r " r e c e i v e d a telephone c a l l from a v i c t i m ( " V i c t i m - 1 5 " ) . Based on my review of the r e c o r d i n g of the c o n v e r s a t i o n , the f o l l o w i n g , i n substance and i n p a r t , took p l a c e :

i . Victim-15 s a i d t h a t she had r e c e i v e d a c a l l about something " c r i m i n a l . " " M i l l e r " s a i d t h a t h i s name was "Dan M i l l e r , " and t h a t he was an i n v e s t i g a t o r w i t h "WSA, Warrant Services A s s o c i a t i o n . " " M i l l e r " s a i d t h a t he was i n v e s t i g a t i n g a c l a i m of f r a u d and t h a t p r i o r t o f o r w a r d i n g the case t o the l o c a l a u t h o r i t i e s i n San Diego County he wanted t o get a statement from Victim-15 .

i i . " M i l l e r " claimed t h a t " t h e y ' r e saying i t ' s t h e f t by d e c e p t i on and they've got e v e r y t h i n g they need on you t o go ahead and pursue c r i m i n a l charges." " M i l l e r " s a i d he was c a l l i n g t o f i n d out whether Victim-15 was going t o handle t h e m a t t e r on a v o l u n t a r y b a s i s " o t h e r w i se we w i l l go ahead and do the suspension of d r i v e r ' s l i c e n s e and/or the w a r r a n t . "

i i i . " M i l l e r " s a i d t h a t the amount owed was $1,777.69 and t h a t " they" had e v e r y t h i n g they needed t o prosecute: a camera, Victim-15's d r i v e r ' s l i c e n s e , s o c i a l s e c u r i t y number, and the amount of money Victim-15 took out. " M i l l e r " s a i d t h a t the o r i g i n a l h o l d e r o f the debt had sent the debt t o two debt c o l l e c t i o n agencies who were unable t o c o l l e c t , and so they sent i t t o the a t t o r n e y s and would prosecute through "us."

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i v . When Victim-15 s a i d t h a t she d i d not remember i n c u r r i n g a debt t h a t l a r g e , " M i l l e r " s t a t e d he was j u s t going t o process the warrant "and then t h e y ' l l p i c k you up and then you can deal w i t h the judge, and then b a i l y o u r s e l f out and get an a t t o r n e y . " " M i l l e r " s a i d t h a t w i t h c o u r t fees and a t t o r n e y fees, the amount owed would be about $3,500.

V. " M i l l e r " t o l d Victim-15 t h a t t h e " a t t o r n e y " was c u r r e n t l y i n c o u r t . " M i l l e r " then t o l d Victim-15 t h a t she would need t o c a l l " M i l l e r " back i n order t o stop the warrant or d r i v e r ' s l i c e n s e suspension. " M i l l e r " s t a t e d t h a t he co u l d o n l y " h o l d i t " f o r the next two hours.

v i . Victim-15 s a i d t h a t she d i d not have the money t o make a 50% down payment and t h a t " I guess, i f I have t o go t o j a i l because I have n o t h i n g , " then t h a t i s what she would do. " M i l l e r " then responded, " t h a t ' s your c h o i c e . "

v i i . " M i l l e r " put Victim-15 on h o l d a t which p o i n t an i n d i v i d u a l who I b e l i e v e t o be BENITA CANNEDY, a/k/a "Sharon Wright," the defendant, got on the phone and i n t r o d u c e d h e r s e l f as "Chief I n v e s t i g a t o r Sharon W r i g h t . " CANNEDY t o l d V ictim-15 t h a t once Victim-15 had a warrant she had t o t u r n h e r s e l f i n .

v i i i . CANNEDY t o l d Victim-15 t h a t CANNEDY would c o n s u l t w i t h an a t t o r n e y t o see i f she cou l d reduce the amount Victim-15 had t o pay. CANNEDY claimed t h a t the amount had increased because of l a t e fees, i n t e r e s t and l e g a l f e e s .

i x . CANNEDY t o l d Victim-15 t o speak w i t h , f a m i l y and f r i e n d s about g e t t i n g the money and " t h a t way y o u ' l l h o l d y o u r s e l f from going t o j a i l . " CANNEDY then asked: "Where's your mom? Where's mom and dad? . . . You're f a c i n g f i v e years imprisonment on these charges."

36. I have spoken w i t h CHRISTOPHER LENYSZYN, a/k/a "Dan M i l l e r , " the defendant. Based on my c o n v e r s a t i o n w i t h LENYSZYN, i t appears t o me t h a t the voi c e on the recorded telephone c o n v e r s a t i o ns discussed i n paragraphs 35.a and 35.b i s LENYSZYN's.

Clark Smith, a/k/a "Mr. C l i n e "

37. I have l i s t e n e d t o a r e c o r d i n g of a telephone c a l l made by an undercover i n v e s t i g a t o r (the "UC") t o a telephone number a s s o c i a t e d w i t h WSA, the defendant, on or about February 28, 2014, from an undercover telephone number. At the

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b e g i n n i n g o f the c a l l , an automated message s t a t e s , i n p a r t : "Thank you f o r c a l l i n g WSA. I f you know your p a r t y ' s e x t e n s i o n , please d i a l i t now. I f you r e c e i v e d a summons t e l l i n g you t o appear i n c o u r t , press 1. For the f r a u d department, press 2. For the proce s s i n g d i v i s i o n , press 3." A f t e r the UC pressed "2," an i n d i v i d u a l c l a i m i n g t o be "Mr. C l i n e " answered the phone. During the ensuing c o n v e r s a t i o n between the UC and " C l i n e , " t h e f o l l o w i n g took place, i n substance and i n p a r t :

a. The UC, i n i t i a l l y u s i n g the name "Anthony Lowe," claimed t h a t he had rec e i v e d a message t h a t he was i n t r o u b l e .

b. " C l i n e " s t a t e d t h a t he worked f o r WSA, which stood f o r "Warrant Services A s s o c i a t i o n . " When the UC asked i f t h a t meant t h a t he owed money, " C l i n e " claimed t h a t " r e s t i t u t i o n " may be necessary t o avo i d any " f u r t h e r l e g a l a c t i o n . "

c. When the UC s a i d t h a t he was r e l u c t a n t t o p r o v i d e i n f o r m a t i o n , " C l i n e " s t a t e d t h a t " i f i t i s r e g a r d i n g you, you probably would want t o know, i f a warrant could come out t o you or not. . . . I f you have an o p p o r t u n i t y t o take care o f r e s t i t u t i o n or r e s o l v e the iss u e then s u r e l y you have . . . you would be able t o do so. I f not, then of course a warrant comes out f o r a r r e s t f o r t h a t person."

d. " C l i n e " s a i d t h a t WSA f a c i l i t a t e s warrants f o r 50 s t a t e s and i s c o n t r a c t e d through the f e d e r a l government.

e. When the UC asked what would happen i f the UC d i d n o t pay, " C l i n e " responded t h a t they have a t t o r n e y s who fo r w a r d i n f o r m a t i o n t o l o c a l d i s t r i c t a t t o r n e y ' s o f f i c e s who then p r e s e n t probable cause t o a judge t o o b t a i n an a r r e s t w a r r a n t . " C l i n e " s t a t e d t h a t WSA was p r o v i d i n g an o p p o r t u n i t y and a "way o u t . "

f . " C l i n e " looked up the name "Anthony Lowe" i n WSA's computer system t o determine whether they had records f o r t h a t person. When the name was not i n the system, " C l i n e " s a i d t h a t "Lowe" had "more than l i k e l y " r e c e i v e d a c a l l f o r one of "Lowe's" f a m i l y members, because WSA t r i e s t o f i n d people i n t h e i r system through t h e i r f a m i l y and f r i e n d s .

38. I have t e l e p h o n i c a l l y i n t e r v i e w e d CLARK SMITH, a/k/a "Mr. C l i n e . " During the i n t e r v i e w , SMITH s t a t e d the f o l l o w i n g , i n substance and i n p a r t :

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a. SMITH used the name "Mr. C l i n e " w h i l e working a t WSA, the defendant.

b. SMITH d i d not t e l l debtors t h a t they would be a r r e s t e d ; o n l y t h a t t h a t the debt would go t o the c o u r t s t o decide. SMITH heard other c o l l e c t o r s say t h a t t h e r e was a p o s s i b i l i t y t h a t the debtors c o u l d go t o j a i l .

c. SMITH t o l d debtors i n Texas t h a t they were comm i t t i n g check and d e p o s i t o r y f r a u d but d i d not know i f t he debtor had a c t u a l l y been accused of f r a u d based on the i n f o r m a t i o n t h a t had been p r o v i d e d him.

d. SMITH s a i d t h a t he a b s o l u t e l y d i d not t e l l d ebtors t h a t he worked f o r or w i t h the f e d e r a l government. SMITH d i d not t h i n k t h a t WSA had a c o n t r a c t w i t h the f e d e r a l government and d i d not t e l l debtors t h a t WSA had such a c o n t r a c t .

e. SMITH d i d not t e l l debtors t h a t they had warrants a g a i n s t them.

f . SMITH never heard o f any debtor being a r r e s t e d f o r n o t paying WSA, nor was SMITH aware of any debtor t h a t was r e f e r r e d t o the c o u r t s and subsequently a r r e s t e d .

g. WSA was not i n the business of s e r v i n g w a r r a n t s . SMITH o n l y t o l d debtors o f the c i v i l consequences of not paying a debt.

h. SMITH d i d not t e l l debtors t h a t "WSA" was an acronym f o r a n y t h i n g and, i n p a r t i c u l a r , never t o l d debtors t h a t "WSA" stood f o r "Warrant Services A s s o c i a t i o n , " because SMITH was not a p o l i c e o f f i c e r .

39. Based on my i n t e r v i e w w i t h CLARK SMITH, a/k/a "Mr. C l i n e , " t h e defendant, I have become f a m i l i a r w i t h SMITH'S v o i c e and i t appears t o me t h a t the voi c e on the recorded telephone c o n v e r s a t i o n discussed i n paragraph 37 i s SMITH'S.

T i t u s McDowell, a/k/a "Mr. McDowell"

40. Based on my review o f c e r t a i n o f the Recorded Phone C a l l s , I have learned the f o l l o w i n g , i n substance and i n p a r t :

a. On or about May 21, 2014, a t approximately 1:29 p.m., "Mr. McDowell" r e c e i v e d a telephone c a l l from a

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v i c t i m { " V i c t i m - 1 6 " ) . Based on my review of the r e c o r d i n g o f the c o n v e r s a t i o n , the f o l l o w i n g , i n substance and i n p a r t , took p l a c e :

i . V i c t i m - 1 6 t o l d "Mr. McDowell" t h a t she was r e t u r n i n g a c a l l r e f e r e n c i n g " f r a u d . " "Mr. McDowell" t o l d V i c t i m - 1 6 t h a t he was i n v e s t i g a t i n g one count o f c o l l a t e r a l t h e f t and was seeking some form o f mediat i on f o r f u l l r e s t i t u t i o n b e f o r e f o r w a r d i n g t h e case t o Davison County. "Mr. McDowell" t o l d V ictim-1 6 t h a t t h e " f u l l r e s t i t u t i o n " amount was $1,124.18.

i i . "Mr. McDowell" t o l d V i c t i m - 1 6 t h a t the o n l y way t o stop t h e process was " t o secure t h i s matter f o r the f u l l r e s t i t u t i o n . . . . [ A ] t t h a t time, t h e y ' l l f i l e an ADR thr o u g h the c l e r k ' s o f f i c e t o c l o s e out your f i l e t o ensure t h a t t h i s doesn't r e f l e c t a g a i n s t your c r e d i t r e p o r t or your c r i m i n a l r e c o r d . "

i i i . V i c tim-16 t o l d "Mr. McDowell" t h a t she wanted t o r e s o l v e the s i t u a t i o n but t h a t she d i d not c u r r e n t l y have a job and was being taken care of by her daughter because she was having h i p replacement surgery the f o l l o w i n g week.

i v . "Mr. McDowell" s a i d t h a t he was going t o speak w i t h the a t t o r n e y s but t h a t they c o u l d not h o l d the case i n t h e i r o f f i c e f o r over 48 hours because the " c i v i l l e g a l r i g h t s " had been "exhausted." "Mr. McDowell" s a i d t h a t they t r y t o mediate, because i f they move forward they " s t a r t the process a g a i n s t you," which would " r e f l e c t your l i c e n s e i n the meantime u n t i l you are rendered w i t h a c o u r t case . . . ." He then s a i d t h a t the a t t o r n e y s j u s t want the money "or e i t h e r t h e y ' r e going t o proceed a g a i n s t you c r i m i n a l l y . . . . Simple as t h a t . " He suggested t h a t Victim-16's daughter help, because -"they are going t o process t h i s m a tter through the county, they w i l l t e m p o r a r i l y suspend your l i c e n s e . "

V. "Mr. McDowell" t o l d V i c t i m - 1 6 t h a t most of t he money owed was i n t e r e s t , l e g a l fees, l a t e fees and c l e r k fees .

v i . "Mr. McDowell" asked Vi c t i m - 16 whether her daughter wanted t o see her i n c a r c e r a t e d . He t o l d Victim-16 t h a t they were n ot a c o l l e c t i o n agency.

b. On or about May 21, 2014, a t approximately 4:21 p.m., "Mr. McDowell" pl a c e d a telephone c a l l t o a v i c t i m ( "Victim-17"). Based on my review of the r e c o r d i n g of the

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c o n v e r s a t i o n , the f o l l o w i n g , i n substance and i n p a r t , took p l a c e :

i . "Mr. McDowell" t o l d Victim-17 t h a t h i s name was "Mr. McDowell" w i t h the m e d i a t i o n department o f WSA and t h a t he was i n v e s t i g a t i n g an a f f i d a v i t o f f r a u d .

i i . Victim-17 t o l d "Mr. McDowell" t h a t she had been a v i c t i m of i d e n t i t y t h e f t . "Mr. McDowell" s a i d t h a t Victim-17 had 48 hours t o comply r e g a r d i n g the $1,996.66 i n r e s t i t u t i o n .

i i i . When Victim-17 asked whether she was being charged i n the a f f i d a v i t o f f r a u d , "Mr. McDowell" responded: "Yes, ma'am, because i t ' s rendered a g a i n s t your i n f o r m a t i o n , " and then c l a r i f i e d t h a t t h e charge i s "check f r a u d . "

i v . "Mr. McDowell" s a i d t h a t the lender "wants r e s t i t u t i o n f o r the f u l l balance through t he c r i m i n a l c o u r t s . " He then s a i d t h a t t h e bank laws have been v i o l a t e d , and c i t e d : " S e c t i o n 35, T i t l e 43" of the "US bank laws."''

c. On or about May 22, 2014, a t approximately 11:49 a.m., "Mr. McDowell" l e f t a v o i c e m a i l f o r a v i c t i m ("Victim-18") i n which he s t a t e d , i n substance and i n p a r t , t h a t i f V i ctim-18 d i d not provide payment i n f o r m a t i o n , "Mr. McDowell" would requ e st t h a t "the f u l l e s t e x t e n t be proceeded f o r one count o f d e p o s i t o r y account f r a u d , as w e l l as one count of t h e f t by s e r v i c e . This matter w i l l be forwarded immediately through your county, and which, at t h a t t i m e , they w i l l request t h a t a judge s i g n s o f f immediate a c t i o n t o proceed a g a i n s t your l i c e n s e and your s o c i a l . "

41. Another law enforcement agent and I have i n t e r v i e w e d TITUS MCDOWELL, a/k/a "Mr. McDowell," the defendant. During t h e i n t e r v i e w , MCDOWELL s t a t e d t h e f o l l o w i n g , i n substance and i n p a r t :

a. U n l i k e o t h e r c o l l e c t o r s , MCDOWELL used h i s r e a l name w h i l e c o l l e c t i n g debts on b e h a l f of WSA, the defendant.

I am aware t h a t T i t l e 43, Un i t e d States Code, S e c t i o n 35 i s t i t l e d : "Federal Land P o l i c y and Management."

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b. MCDOWELL s t a t e d t h a t he always f o l l o w e d the FDCPA Gui d e l i n e s . ^

c. MCDOWELL s a i d t h a t he never t o l d any debtors t h a t they would be a r r e s t e d i f they f a i l e d t o pay t h e i r debt although he claimed t o have heard othe r c o l l e c t o r s t h r e a t i n g debtors w i t h a r r e s t .

d. WSA changed i t s telephone number every two t o t h r e e months because of bad business reviews on the i n t e r n e t .

42. Based on my i n t e r v i e w w i t h TITUS MCDOWELL, a/k/a "Mr. McDowell," the defendant, I have become f a m i l i a r w i t h MCDOWELL'S v o i c e and i t appears t o me t h a t the vo i c e on the recorded v o i c e m a i l and telephone conversations discussed i n paragraphs 40.a, 40.b and 40.c i s MCDOWELL'S.

WSA & Collec-bion Company-2

43. I have reviewed records f i l e d w i t h the Georgia Secretary o f State f o r " W i l l i a m s , Scot t & Asso c i a t e s , LLC," and have l e a r n e d t h a t "John W i l l i a m s " was l i s t e d as the manager of WSA, the defendant, i n the company's i n i t i a l r e g i s t r a t i o n on or about November 22, 2000. I n subsequent f i l i n g s , "John W i l l i a m s " was a l s o l i s t e d as CFO and agent of the company. "John W i l l i a m s " was removed as a " p a r t n e r " of WSA on or about A p r i l 11, 2013.

44. I have reviewed records f i l e d w i t h the Nevada Secretary o f S t a t e , and have lea r n ed t h a t on or about A p r i l 19, 2013, a r e g i s t r a t i o n was f i l e d f o r "WSA, LLC," l i s t i n g "John W i l l i a m s " and "Chris Lenyszyn" as managing members of the company. "Chris Lenyszyn" has since been removed as a managing member of the company.

^ I am aware t h a t FDCPA stands f o r the F a i r Debt C o l l e c t i o n P r a c t i c e s A c t . I am al s o aware t h a t the FDCPA p r o h i b i t s debt c o l l e c t o r s from using any f a l s e or mi s l e a d i n g r e p r e s e n t a t i o n s i n connection w i t h the c o l l e c t i o n of any debt, i n c l u d i n g : "the f a l s e r e p r e s e n t a t i o n o f the c h a r a c t e r , amount, or l e g a l s t a t u s of any debt; or . . . [ t ] h e r e p r e s e n t a t i o n or i m p l i c a t i o n t h a t nonpayment o f any debt w i l l r e s u l t i n the a r r e s t or imprisonment of any person or the s e i z u r e , garnishment, attachment, or sale of any p r o p e r t y or wages of any person unless such a c t i o n i s l a w f u l and the debt c o l l e c t o r or c r e d i t o r i n t e n d s t o take such a c t i o n [ ; o r ] [ t ] h e t h r e a t t o take any a c t i o n t h a t cannot l e g a l l y be taken or t h a t i s not i n t e n d e d t o be take n ." 15 U.S.C. §§ 1692e (2) (A) , ( 4 ) , (5) .

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45. I have conducted a search on the State Bar of Georgia website and have determined t h a t n e i t h e r JOHN TODD WILLIAMS, a/k/a "JT," a/k/a "Joe S t e e l e , " nor CHRISTOPHER LENYSZYN, a/k/a "Dan M i l l e r , " t he defendants, are or ever were r e g i s t e r e d a t t o r n e y s i n the St a t e o f Georgia.

4 6. I have conducted a search on the State Bar of Nevada website and have determined t h a t n e i t h e r JOHN TODD WILLIAMS, a/k/a "JT," a/k/a "Joe S t e e l e , " nor CHRISTOPHER LENYSZYN, a/k/a "Dan M i l l e r , " the defendants, are or ever were r e g i s t e r e d a t t o r n e y s i n the St a t e o f Nevada. I n a d d i t i o n , n e i t h e r " W i l l i a m s S c o t t " nor "WSA" were l i s t e d as law f i r m s i n t h e State o f Nevada.

47. I have reviewed bank records maintained by a bank ("Bank-1") and have learned the f o l l o w i n g :

a. There are t h r e e accounts i n the name "WSA W i l l i a m s S c o tt & Associates";

b. "John T. W i l l i a m s , " w i t h the same date o f b i r t h as JOHN TODD WILLIAMS, a/k/a "JT," a/k/a "Joe S t e e l e , " the defendant, i s l i s t e d as a s i g n a t o r y f o r a l l of the accounts;

c. The accounts r e c e i v e d e p o s i t s from a t l e a s t one c r e d i t card payment processor. Based on my t r a i n i n g and experience and f a m i l i a r i t y w i t h the i n v e s t i g a t i o n , I b e l i e v e these d e p o s i t s are f o r c r e d i t card payments made by v i c t i m s o f t h e f r a u d ;

d. There appear t o be no payments t o or from t h e f e d e r a l government c o n s i s t e n t w i t h a c o n t r a c t w i t h the f e d e r a l government;

e. I have reviewed s u r v e i l l a n c e videos o f t r a n s a c t i o n s f o r a "WSA Wi l l i a m s S c o t t & As s o c i a t e s " bank account. The i n d i v i d u a l i n the s u r v e i l l a n c e videos appears t o me t o be the same person d e p i c t e d i n a photograph o f JOHN TODD WILLIAMS, a/k/a "JT," a/k/a "Joe S t e e l e , " the defendant, t h a t i s ma i n t a i n e d by the Georgia Department of Motor V e h i c l e s .

48. I have reviewed bank records maintained by a c r e d i t c a r d processor l i s t e d on the Bank-1 account statements (the " C r e d i t Card Processor") and have l e a r n e d the f o l l o w i n g , i n substance and i n p a r t :

a. There are two accounts w i t h the C r e d i t Card Processor opened by "John W i l l i a m s . " The f i r s t account ("CC

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Account-1") was opened i n or about September 2009 and was closed i n or about February 2011. The merchant name f o r CC Account-1 i s " W i l l i a m s S c o t t and Ass o c i a t e s , " and "John W i l l i a m s " i s l i s t e d as the CEO. The second account ("CC Account-2") was opened i n or about October 2009.^ The merchant name f o r CC Account-2 i s "Wi l l i a ms Scott and Associates LLC," and "John W i l l i a m s " i s l i s t e d as the CEO. According t o the account statements f o r CC Account-2, i n or about May 2013, the DBA ("doing business as") name switched from " W i l l i a m s S c o t t and Associates LLC" t o "WSA LLC."

b. Between January 2010 and March 2014, the t o t a l c r e d i t card revenue r e p o r t e d on the account statements f o r CC Account-1 and CC Account-2 was over $4.1 m i l l i o n .

49. I have reviewed records maintained by a company t h a t p r o v ide s debt purchasing and s e r v i c i n g s e r v i c e s and have l e a r n e d , i n substance and i n p a r t , t h a t WSA, the defendant, began purchasing debt from the company as e a r l y as March 2009.

50. I have read a d e c l a r a t i o n prepared by an i n v e s t i g a t o r f o r the Georgia Governor's O f f i c e of Consumer P r o t e c t i o n (the " I n v e s t i g a t o r " ) and spoken w i t h another law enforcement agent w i t h the FBI ("Agent-1") who spoke w i t h the I n v e s t i g a t o r . Based on my review of t h a t r e p o r t and my c o n v e r s a t i o n w i t h Agent-1, I have l e a r n e d the f o l l o w i n g , i n substance and i n p a r t :

a. I n or about November 2012, the I n v e s t i g a t o r attempted t o serve a C i v i l I n v e s t i g a t i v e Demand ("CID") on JOHN TODD WILLIAMS, a/k/a "JT," a/k/a "Joe S t e e l e , " the defendant, a t h i s residence ("Address-1") f o r records r e l a t i n g t o WSA, the defendant. At Address-1, the I n v e s t i g a t o r observed a man d r i v e up t o the residence, who, based on law enforcement and d r i v e r ' s l i c e n s e photographs, appeared t o be WILLIAMS. The I n v e s t i g a t o r t o l d the man t h a t he was t h e r e t o serve a CID, and the i n d i v i d u a l denied t h a t he was WILLIAMS but was i n s t e a d "Joe S t e e l e . " The man claimed t h a t he d i d not have any i d e n t i f i c a t i o n .

b. On or about December 5, 2012, the I n v e s t i g a t o r attended a meeting between WILLIAMS and WILLIAMS'S p r o b a t i o n o f f i c e r . The I n v e s t i g a t o r recognized WILLIAMS as the i n d i v i d u a l on whom he had attempted t o serve a CID a t Address-1 and who had i d e n t i f i e d h i m s e l f as "Joe S t e e l e . " The

^ I have l e a r n e d t h a t , as o f A p r i l 4, 2014, CC Account-2 was clos e d by the C r e d i t Card Processor.

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I n v e s t i g a t o r then served the CID on WILLIAMS, t o which WILLIAMS d i d not respond.

c. On or about A p r i l 23, 2013, the I n v e s t i g a t o r attempted t o serve a n o t i c e o f f a i l u r e t o respond on WILLIAMS a t Address-1. WILLIAMS claimed t h a t he was no longer a manager or owner of WSA.

51. I have reviewed records from the Payment Processor and have l e a r n e d t h a t i n d i v i d u a l s who have p a i d or have attempted t o pay money t o WSA, the defendant, r e s i d e i n a l l 50 s t a t e s and, among other places. New York, New York, the Bronx, New York and Westchester County, New York. Those records a l s o show t h a t between i n or about October 2009 through i n or about A p r i l 2014, t h e r e have been over 6,000 customers of WSA.

52. I have reviewed complaints f i l e d by v i c t i m s w i t h t he FTC and o t h e r agencies concerning C o l l e c t i o n Company-2. Based on my review o f those complaints, I have learned t h a t v i c t i m s have r e c e i v e d c a l l s from i n d i v i d u a l s c l a i m i n g t o be from C o l l e c t i o n Company-2 who are using many of the same t h r e a t s and m i s r e p r e s e n t a t i o n s discussed above i n order t o c o l l e c t debts.

53. I have reviewed records f i l e d w i t h the C a l i f o r n i a S e c r e t a r y o f St a t e , and have lea r n ed t h a t on or about J u l y 31, 2014, a r e g i s t r a t i o n was f i l e d f o r C o l l e c t i o n Company-2 l i s t i n g an i n d i v i d u a l w i t h the l a s t name " W i l l i a m s " as an agent f o r s e r v i c e o f process.

54. During the search of the Premises, a document was recovered from the JTW O f f i c e w i t h the heading "New LLC's." Among the names of companies l i s t e d on the document were "WSA W i l l i a m s S c o t t & Assoc LLC" and a company name s i m i l a r t o the company name of C o l l e c t i o n Company-2.

55. WHEREFORE, I r e s p e c t f u l l y request t h a t a r r e s t warrants be issued f o r JOHN TODD WILLIAMS, a/k/a "JT," a/k/a "Joe S t e e l e , " BENITA CANNEDY, a/k/a "Sharon Wright, " RUDY JAMES, a/k/a "Ricky K e l l y , " a/k/a "Robert French," ARTHUR COOK, a/k/a "Ace Rogers," CHRISTOPHER LENYSZYN, a/k/a "Dan M i l l e r , " CLARK SMITH, a/k/a "Mr. C l i n e , " and TITUS MCDOWELL, a/k/a "Mr.

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McDowell," the defendants, and t h a t they be a r r e s t e d and imp r i s o n e d or b a i l e d , as the case may be.

Sp e c i a l Agent Federal Bureau of I n v e s t i g a t i o n

Sworn t o before me t h i s 12th day of November, 2014

UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE .'SOUTxHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK

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EXHIBIT A

j


W A R R A N T S E R V I C E S A S S O C I A T I O N

k m m m m T H E F E D E R A L BOVERNMENT T A S K F O R C E PO Box 921041

Grand Junction, CO 81505

RESTlTUmON PAID IN FULL

Date of Notice: Criminal Complaint #: Account Opened: Bank: Amount Paid:

10/10/2013 AC5t71390-0504

04/09/2010

Description: Client Account: Process Type: Case: SS#: County:

lISD-l.iHiMiHMH F.O.C.C. 4874030 Bad Cheque Issuance Nole Prosequi (Closed)

ALLEGATIONS DISMISSED

This documentation serves as confirmation that the above-mentioned account has been EXPUNGED with the County Processing Division. Also, Warrant Services Associations will mail you a release document that includes all evidence to the above mentioned address within 15-30 business days.

The above mentioned account holder is relieved and has no further obligation to the above notated account or governing authorities.

No further action is necessary. Please be sure to maintain a copy of this documentation for your personal records.

WARRANT S E R V I C E S ASSOCIATION

Corporate Processmg Division Grand function, CO 81505

"This dacttmcitt lias been approved by (lU legal parties involved."


EXHIBIT B


Phone: 325-e03-239& Fax: 325.442-3363

W S A , L E - C S E R V I N G T H E USDOJ F O R 1 5 YEAR STRONG PO BOX 1 4 8 6 7 A B I L E N E , TX 79601

AMOUNT PAID: $300 00

Date of Nofice: 4/1/14 File Number. ALL3398494-7987 Reason Code; Theft of Services Bank: i ^ ^ j l ^ ^ j i a i i i i i i ^ i i i M l i Charge: Bad Cheque lssuance/Chck#1147

Description: Client Account SSN: Date of Birth: Complaint Status: EXPUNGED

COMPLAINT DISMISSED

This documentation serves as confirmation that the above-mentioned account has been RECTIFIED with the County Processing Division. The payment of ($300.00) has been received and posted. The necessary documents will be forwarded to the original creditor to ensure the proper update of ail three major credit-reporting agencies.

Please allow 30 to 45 days for completion.

At this time, no action is deemed necessary, ff you require further assistance, please contact your case manager Sr. Liaison Jeffrey Williams at 325-603-2399 @ ext 116. Please be sure to maintain a copy of this document for your personal records.

W S A , L L C COUNTY PROCESSING DIVISION ABILENE, TX 79601

This cammimxcaSion is legal and binding tmd rsrpcires immediate altention. Further action -ail! be enforced if ignored. ITiis document has also been approved by all pariies involved.

WS-IB39-000314


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