A Buffalo-area man is facing up to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty yesterday to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his role in a collection scam.
Michael Dudley is due to be sentenced on Oct. 23 before a District Court judge in New York. Dudley worked with Alan Ceccarelli, who in May 2017 was sentenced to 78 months in prison for threatening individuals and coercing payments on debts that were real and fake.
Dudley received more than $70,000 in commissions on the debts he illegally collected between February 2013 and April 2015, according to prosecutors. Dudley was also accused of making calls to individuals who had filed for bankruptcy protection and convincing them to make payments on their unpaid debts by saying the payments were necessary to “finalize their bankruptcy proceedings.”
Ceccarelli, who cited decade-long addictions to heroin and cocaine as the motivation for his scam, also went by the names Steve Jantrowski, Daniel Hamilton and Scott Richmond, and used company names including G&B Check Services, Check & Arbitration Services, Dudley & Associates, National Check Services and Franklin & Ruggiero when collecting.
Dudley allegedly used threats and false statements to induce unsuspecting individuals into making payments, according to prosecutors. Because the debts were fake, the funds that were collected went right into the pockets of Ceccarelli and Dudley.
