Federal jury convicts Florida woman on four counts of wire fraud for operating illegal debt collection businesses

Date: July 3, 2024

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U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that a federal jury has convicted Angela Burdorf, of New Port Richey, Florida of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Franz M. Wright and Aaron J. Mango, who handled the prosecution of 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, from Kenmore, Buffalo, Lackawanna, to the Town of Niagara. The businesses employed fraudulent means to collect on debts, to re-collect on debts already collected, to over-collect on debts actually owed, and to process and transfer payments related to the collection of such debts. Burdorf's businesses, and the businesses she associated with, used false and threatening statements during collection telephone calls in an effort to induce the payment of debts, including referencing criminal statutes, and threatening to file criminal complaints and/or arrest warrants. Debtors were routinely routed to employees who posed as attorneys during the calls, in order to intimidate debtors and collect payment.

The verdict is the result of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Thomas Fattorusso; Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Scarpino; the Federal Matthew Miraglia; and the United States Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division, under the direction of Inspector-in-Charge Ketty Larco-Ward.

Sentencing is scheduled for November 26, 2024, at 12:30 p.m. before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara, who presided over the trial.