A debt collection company is giving up $8.5 million in consumer debt under a settlement with the state of Georgia.

The Lawrenceville company, National Check Resolution Inc., illegally threatened consumers with imprisonment and garnishment of wages, according to the allegations in the settlement announced Wednesday.

Attorney General Chris Carr said the company repeatedly harassed and deceived consumers in violation of federal and state debt collection laws.

"Our office will hold debt collectors that try to coerce and intimidate consumers by employing abusive, deceptive and illegal tactics accountable," Carr said in a statement.

The company’s CEO, Samuel Tulumello, and its compliance manager, Rhonda Tulumello, denied engaging in unfair or deceptive acts, according to the settlement.

The company will cease collections on the $8.5 million in consumer debt and hand over 11,980 affected accounts to the Attorney General’s Office so they can’t be sold or collected on in the future.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Constituent Services Director Vesna Kurspahic helps a student with his service academy application at U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick’s office in Cumming, Ga., on Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025. Kurspahic is constituent services director for Congressman Rich McCormick. During the government shutdown, she is handling a caseload of roughly 250 requests without receiving any salary. (Abbey Cutrer/AJC)

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com

Featured

Members of the conversion crew take a break as the main scoreboard is lowered to the floor to be worked on as the arena gets ready for the next concert at State Farm Arena, Thursday, October 2, 2025, in Atlanta. The crew was working on creating a stage for the Friday, Oct. 3 Maxwell concert. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com