BUFFALO, NY – A federal jury has convicted Angela Burdorf, 44, of New Port Richey, Florida, of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. These charges carry a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine, announced U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Franz M. Wright and Aaron J. Mango, who prosecuted the case, stated that between March 2016 and May 2017, Burdorf conspired with others to operate various illegitimate debt collection businesses in Western New York, including in Kenmore, Buffalo, Lackawanna, and the Town of Niagara. These businesses employed fraudulent tactics to collect on debts, re-collect on previously settled debts, over-collect on actual debts, and process and transfer payments related to these collections.
Burdorf’s operations used false and threatening statements during collection calls to induce payments, referencing criminal statutes, and threatening to file criminal complaints or arrest warrants. Debtors were often routed to employees posing as attorneys to intimidate them into making payments.
The conviction resulted from an investigation conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Scarpino; the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Thomas Fattorusso; the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Buffalo Division, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia; and the United States Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division, under the direction of Inspector-in-Charge Ketty Larco-Ward.
