The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma has issued a preliminary injunction enjoining three individuals and two companies from continuing a fraudulent debt collection scheme that targeted military veterans and older adults.
The order was issued after the department filed a civil complaint against Assured Collections LLC, Assured Financial LLC, Christopher Parks, Christopher Noah Parks and Stephen Miller.
According to the complaint, Christopher Parks, 62, who is currently incarcerated in Cushing, Oklahoma; his son, Christopher Noah Parks, 29, of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma; and Stephen Miller, 39, also of Broken Arrow, operate Assured Collections LLC and Assured Financial LLC. The defendants, according to the complaint, used those companies to distribute thousands of fraudulent debt collection notices to consumers across the country.
The notices falsely stated that consumers owed money, often thousands of dollars, for durable medical equipment. According to a release from the Department of Justice, the defendants had no authority to contact consumers to attempt to collect any debt.
“No consumer should have to panic at the thought of needing to pay thousands of dollars they do not in fact need to pay,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division.
Christopher Parks, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and was recently sentenced to 18 months in prison, Christopher Noah Parks and Miller knew that debt notices were fraudulent. Despite that knowledge, they continued to contact consumers attempting to collect.
“The defendants in this case victimized individuals who were already traumatized by illness and were struggling emotionally, physically and financially,” said U.S. Attorney Clinton Johnson for the Northern District of Oklahoma. “This fraudulent billing scheme caused additional harm and eroded the public’s trust in the medical industry. I’m thankful for the collaborative effort of all the investigative agencies that worked together in pursuit of justice for the victims.”
Anyone who believes that they are a victim of the unlawful debt collection activity is encouraged to report to the Federal Trade Commission here.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.