HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania consumers are receiving $3 million and Commonwealth agencies will receive an additional $5 million in restitution following the settlement of two consumer protection cases, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced today. “One of my most important responsibilities is fighting to protect Pennsylvania consumers,” Attorney General Josh Shapiro said. “The Office of Attorney […]
HARRISBURG – Attorney General Josh Shapiro today announced that his office entered into an agreement that will put an end to illegal telemarketing practices by Indra Energy. The settlement is with retail energy suppliers PalmCo Energy PA, LLC and PalmCo Power PA, LLC, which do business in Pennsylvania under the name Indra Energy. The Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General’s investigation revealed that Indra Energy engaged in a wide range of violations relating to its telemarketing operations in Pennsylvania.
HARRISBURG — Attorney General Michelle Henry announced an agreement to resolve pending litigation against Easton-based Great Conventions LLC and its owner, Christopher Wertz. Under the terms of the agreement, consumers who purchased tickets to the Great Philadelphia ComicCon event — originally scheduled for 2020 — may be eligible to receive refunds.
HARRISBURG — Attorney General Michelle Henry announced a settlement with a Colorado-based lead generator for selling Pennsylvanians’ information to telemarketing companies.
HARRISBURG—Attorney General Josh Shapiro today announced an important win in a decision from the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, as part of the Office of Attorney General’s ongoing court battle with Navient, the nation’s second-largest servicer of federal and private student loans.
HARRISBURG — Attorney General Michelle Henry announced a settlement agreement with attorney Erik M. Helbing, and his law firm Helbing Law, LLC, and Consumer Law Relief, LLC, which also does business as Helbing Law Group, LLC, regarding their misleading advertising practices and failure to provide debt settlement services.
HARRISBURG–Attorney General Josh Shapiro today announced that his office filed charges against contractor Michael Bloom of Williamsport, PA. Bloom entered into contracts with six Pennsylvania residents to install elevators in their homes. He took deposits from the six homeowners, but never followed through with the installations.
HARRISBURG – Attorney General Michelle Henry announced that her office entered into a settlement agreement with two out-of-state telemarketing companies — AGR Group Nevada LLC and Utilities Marketing Group LLC — for providing telemarketing services for retail energy suppliers in Pennsylvania.
HARRISBURG – Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced today that his office has entered into a settlement agreement with online ticket seller RYADD, Inc., for alleged violations of Pennsylvania’s consumer protection laws. RYADD sells tickets through the websites TicketsOnSale and OnlineCityTickets for events in and outside of Pennsylvania. Early on in the pandemic, when most if not all concerts and events in Pennsylvania were canceled, RYADD changed their refund policy without notice and against Pennsylvania law.
HARRISBURG — Attorney General Michelle Henry announced a lawsuit filed today in Fayette County Common Pleas Court against property owners, Joseph F. John and his son Joseph F. John II, for their alleged illegal treatment of tenants or consumers with “rent to own” agreements at more than 50 homes in Greene and Fayette counties.
HARRISBURG — Attorney General Michelle Henry announced three settlements — totaling more than $90,000 — against telemarketers that allegedly violated Pennsylvania’s “Do-Not-Call” Law and contacted people on the no-call list.
HARRISBURG – Attorney General Josh Shapiro today announced a verdict against junkyard and auto repair shop Progress Auto Salvage, Inc., and owner and operator Emeka K. Oguejiofor, for violating Pennsylvania consumer protection laws. Oguejiofor, along with his business, accepted deposits and advances payments from consumers and failed to do the agreed-upon work.
HARRISBURG– Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced today that his office filed a lawsuit against New York-based Fluent, Inc. – a company that connects advertisers to potential new customers through the consumers’ personal data – for their and their subsidiaries’ role in allegedly causing hundreds of thousands of unwanted robocalls to be placed to Pennsylvania consumers. Fluent and its subsidiaries Fluent LLC, CAC, American Prize Center, LLC, Deliver Technology, LLC, Rewardzone USA, LLC, and Samples & Savings USA, LLC, collected personal information, including telephone numbers, and that was then sold to telemarketing companies. This included the personal information of thousands of consumers on Pennsylvania’s Do Not Call List.
HARRISBURG—Attorney General Josh Shapiro today announced charges against a Pittsburgh lobbyist for stealing more than $100,000 from Pennsylvania small businesses. Joseph Kuklis, 48, of Pittsburgh, was charged with Corrupt Organizations, Deceptive or Fraudulent Business Practices, Forgery, and Theft by Deception on Monday. The defendant is a lobbyist who operates a Pittsburgh government consulting firm called Wellington Strategies.
HARRISBURG – Attorney General Henry today announced a settlement with New York-based Fluent, LLC and its subsidiaries, for their role in allegedly causing millions of unwanted telemarketing calls to be placed to Pennsylvania residents.
HARRISBURG – Following through on a commitment to restructure the Office of Public Engagement, making it more available and accessible to the public and to every Pennsylvanian in a way that addresses community safety and well-being, Attorney General Josh Shapiro today announced the creation of a new Office of Public Engagement that will be led […]
HARRISBURG – Two more of the eleven people arrested in 2019 for their roles in the massive Liberation Way insurance fraud scheme pleaded guilty today, Attorney General Josh Shapiro said.
PHILADELPHIA — Today at a press conference at the Office of Attorney General in Philadelphia, Attorney General Josh Shapiro and First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Jennifer Williams announced state and federal criminal charges against eleven people and nine businesses in connection with an elaborate insurance fraud scheme involving treatment centers. The state charges include corrupt organizations, dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities, criminal conspiracy, insurance fraud, and identity theft. The federal charges are conspiracy to commit health care fraud.
HARRISBURG — Attorney General Josh Shapiro today announced that the former Northumberland County Prothonotary is facing multiple charges of theft, receiving stolen property, tampering with public records and related crimes following an investigation by the Office of Attorney General after a referral by the Northumberland County District Attorney.
HARRISBURG – Attorney General Josh Shapiro and the Forty-Ninth Statewide Investigating Grand Jury today announced charges against John Burkhart, the former Officer in Charge of the Lancaster County Drug Task Force, for stealing more than $200K from the Task Force from 2015 to 2020, and depositing at least $170K into his personal bank account. Defendant was arrested and preliminarily arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Bruce A. Roth.
HARRISBURG — Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced today that a Philadelphia behavioral specialist and mobile therapist charged with Medicaid fraud of more than $210,000 involving three different facilities has pleaded guilty in Delaware County Court. As part of the scheme, the therapist falsified the medical records of autistic children and submitted fake claims for reimbursement.
Attorney General Josh Shapiro, Bucks County DA Matt Weintraub Detail Law Enforcement Cooperation, Series of Arrests in Child Predator Ring, Search for Other Victims WARMINSTER — Through the close cooperation of Office of Attorney General agents with other law enforcement agencies, a child sexual predator suspect was arrested Friday in Bucks County, where he was […]
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro today announced the filing of 31 legal actions against home improvement contractors who failed to register under Pennsylvania law. Home improvement contractors who earn more than $5,000 a year are required to register every other year under Pennsylvania’s Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act (HICPA). The legal actions – […]
A Pledge to Pennsylvanians to Ensure Integrity and Fairness in Every Action HARRISBURG — In just one week, the entire staff of the Office of Attorney General has signed a new Code of Conduct to ensure the highest standards of integrity guide every action taken by the office. The code was introduced and signed last week by […]
HARRISBURG — Attorney General Josh Shapiro today announced a settlement imposing injunctive relief and a monetary payment of $110,000.00 against California-based clothing company, LuLaRoe, LLC and LulaRoe, Inc. This legal action is the result of numerous complaints from Pennsylvanians owed overdue refunds for returned merchandise.
HARRISBURG — Attorney General Josh Shapiro today announced criminal charges against a dozen people accused of taking part in a major organized crime ring that fraudulently obtained more than a thousand Pennsylvania license plates and used them to fuel a massive criminal enterprise involving automobiles in multiple states. By illegally renting the license plates in […]
HARRISBURG — Attorney General Josh Shapiro today announced felony charges against six people who used fake businesses to fraudulently siphon more than $336,000 in grant funds from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development’s Guaranteed Free Training Program.
Pa. Consumer: “I appreciate Attorney General Shapiro for standing up to this corporation and protecting Pennsylvania consumers like me.”
HARRISBURG — Attorney General Shapiro today announced that his office filed a lawsuit against Uniontown furniture retailer B.J. Mundel Furniture Co. d/b/a Mundel’s Furniture and d/b/a Mundels Furniture and Appliance Outlet; Mundels Mattress Center, Inc.; and Randolph S. Mundel, Individually.
HARRISBURG — Attorney General Josh Shapiro today announced a settlement agreement with Continental Real Estate Management, a State College based property manager, following a review of the property manager’s security deposit practices by the Office of Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.
