Debt Collector Sentenced to Three Years in Prison For Tax Evasion

A debt collector from Buffalo who pleaded guilty to income tax evasion was sentenced to three years in prison yesterday and was ordered to repay nearly $1.5 million in unpaid taxes.

Dorian Wills pleaded guilty to income tax evasion back in April, after admitting that he earned $9 million while running a string of collection agencies that allegedly engaged in illegal activities in order to intimidate and coerce individuals into making payments.

Wills, 52, hid the income he made while running the scam by concealing his ownership of the business, which made threats to individuals as a means of inducing individuals to make payments on debts that did not exist. The names of the companies used in the scam were Heritage Capital Services LLC; Performance Payment Processing LLC; Performance Payment Service LLC; Pinnacle Payment Service LLC; and Velocity Payment Solutions LLC. Wills was previously investigated by the Federal Trade Commission for his role in another collection scam, using a string of collection agencies from Georgia to Ohio and a number of merchant accounts to funnel payments through.

None of the money Wills earned while running his scam was reported to the Internal Revenue Service, according to a published report. Wills was facing up to five years in jail following his guilty plea.