Politics
Politics

Case against Georgia debt collector settled for $8.5M

Chris Carr address reporters during a press conference when he was appointed Georgia's attorney general on Oct. 12, 2016. (DAVID BARNES / DAVID.BARNES@AJC.COM)

Credit: David Barnes

Credit: David Barnes

Chris Carr address reporters during a press conference when he was appointed Georgia's attorney general on Oct. 12, 2016. (DAVID BARNES / DAVID.BARNES@AJC.COM)
By Mark Niesse
April 4, 2018

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

Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.

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