CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Charlotte woman pleaded guilty in connection with a five-year debt collection scheme that defrauded hundreds of victims across the country out of nearly $2 million, federal prosecutors said.
Carissa Eugenia Brown, 33, pleaded guilty on Friday to wire fraud and money laundering, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release. Brown was released on a $25,000 bond and faces up to 30 years in prison and $500,000 in fines. No sentencing date has been set.
Brown admitted in court that, between 2015 and July 2020, she contacted people sued by creditors and said she was authorized to collect the debt. She said she would pay it for a reduced amount, but only if the victims accepted the offer and paid that amount in full or began immediate payments to one of three companies Brown set up to run the scheme.
Prosecutors said Brown sent letters to her victims on stationery and left voice mails suggesting the correspondences were from a law firm. Brown also used threats and pressure tactics to force victims to pay her, prosecutors said.
Victims were left to choose between paying their debts twice or facing consequences for not paying the actual creditor, prosecutors said.
