The attorney general of California has filed criminal charges against the owners of a chain of jewelry stores and a financial services company for allegedly engaging in illegal debt collection activities. The defendants are accused of targeting military service members with their tactics.
Ramil Abalkhad is the owner of the jewelry store and Melina Abalkhad, his wife, was the owner of MBNB Financial, which provided credit to individuals looking to purchase items from the store. One of MBNB’s employees – Ramiro Salinas – was also charged. The trio are facing charges of check fraud, conspiring to engage in unlawful debt collection, illegal financing and debt collection. In February, Ramil Abalkhad pleaded guilty to charges of identity theft after tricking Marines to sign paperwork that was used to apply for credit, and then paying a Marine with access to military payroll records to reset the victims’ PINs to withdraw money from their accounts.
In this case, the defendants incorporated a collection agency, Thomas Parker Collection Agency, and created a fake lawyer — Thomas Parker — who threatened to sue individuals for not paying their debts. The fake lawyer also threatened to contact superior officers to start disciplinary proceedings under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the AG alleged in his complaint.