August 26, 2010

By: Michelle Grinberg, Esq.

CMC Recovery Services, Inc. (“CMC”), now doing business as Legal Action Recovery, was shut down in 2009 by the Attorney General of New York for various alleged unscrupulous collection activities, such as attempting to collect non-existent or time barred debts and pretending to be law enforcement agents in order to scare consumers into making payments. Further, Lamont Cooper, the owner of CMC, was barred by court order from working in the debt collection industry.

Cooper has been in federal prison since October 2009 for violating the terms of his release for an earlier drug conviction.  Regardless of the fact that Cooper has been in prison for unrelated charges, CMC remained open and Cooper has remained an active participant despite the ban on its operation.  While in prison, Cooper continued to instruct his employees on how to manage accounts as well as demanded to be informed of all financial matters and activity.

Cooper now faces various felony and misdemeanor charges which could  land him a sentence of four to five years in jail.  CMC also faces large fines for continuing its illegal operations.