A Buffalo-area man has pleaded guilty to charges of mail fraud after being accused of a debt collection scam in which he impersonated a local sheriff’s deputy and an attorney to bilk unsuspecting consumers out of more than $420,000.
Nicholas Janes, 26, of Buffalo, N.Y., appeared before a federal judge yesterday and admitted to committing mail fraud, a crime that carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
In May 2023, law enforcement officials became suspicious of numerous United States Postal Service Express Mail overnight flat-rate envelopes that were sent to Janes’s Buffalo address. These envelopes were addressed to variations of his name and what appeared to be different law offices. Many of the labels were hand-written, and the envelopes originated from individuals across the United States. A subsequent search of Janes’s address in various consumer complaint databases revealed a pattern of alleged debt collection fraud victims.
Janes used multiple aliases, including “Nicholas Janes,” “Nicholas James,” and fictitious business names such as “The Nichols Law Group” and “The Offices of Pachulski, Mueller, and Barnes.” His fraudulent scheme targeted victims nationwide, with Janes operating business mailboxes in Ann Arbor, Michigan, which furthered his deception. He controlled these addresses and forwarded the mail to his residence in Buffalo.
The scam involved contacting individuals across the country, claiming they owed money on a supposed loan. He impersonated a local sheriff’s deputy, threatening victims with criminal charges unless they paid the alleged debt. Additionally, Janes pretended to be an attorney working at one of the fictitious law firms, making the scam appear legitimate. Victims were instructed to pay via USPS money orders and to send payments via USPS, Federal Express, or UPS overnight service to addresses Janes controlled.
In total, over 500 victims were defrauded, with Janes accumulating $420,812.92 in ill-gotten gains.
