Man admits selling debtor information

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - A Buffalo man pleaded guilty Monday, to the sale of debtor information which was property that belonged to a bank.

A Capital Management Services director, 35-year-old Andrew Jon Pytlewski, is accused of stealing the personal identification information of thousands of debtors from CMS computer files.

The information belonged to the financial institutions which had contracted with CMS to collect the debt.

Pytlewski sold the information to Timothy E. Arent and Neil G. Wieczkowski, who allegedly used it to scare victims into paying entirely made up debts they allegedly owed.

Arent and Wieczkowski were charged by Criminal Complaint in October 2009 for posing as attorneys and law enforcement officers while operating a fraudulent debt collection scheme that victimized consumers nationwide.

The scheme is believed to have netted millions of dollars for Arent and Wieczkowski, while Pytlewski received approximately $28,000 for the information.

Arent and Wieczkowski failed to disclose to the defendant their fraudulent use of the information to collect on fictitious debt.

The crime carries a maximum penalty of ten years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both.