A Buffalo-woman who has admitted to running a debt collection scam with her brother is facing 20 years in prison. She is due to be sentenced before a federal judge in August, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Judi Sylvia has pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Her brother, Shawn Sylvia, has also been convicted and is awaiting sentencing.
The pair created a phony company and used it to obtain a bank account and a merchant account through which to collect payments. However, the pair used the accounts and the collection agency to scam individuals to make payments on debts that they did not owe.
Compared to similar scams, facing 20 years in prison for collecting $56,615 in fraudulent payments hardly seems worth it.
The name of the phone company was Pasquale and Associates. The pair obtained a merchant account with Elavon and a bank account with First Niagara Bank. The pair claimed that the business was a legitimate debt collection agency.
