A Tonawanda man was sentenced to five years of probation for a debt-collection fraud that took more than $420,000 from hundreds of victims, federal prosecutors said.
Nicholas Janes, 40, was convicted of mail fraud and ordered sentenced by U.S. District Judge John Sinatra Jr. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said more than 500 people lost a combined $420,812.92.
Prosecutors said Janes posed as a sheriff’s deputy or attorney and used fictitious law-firm names while pressuring people to pay purported debts. Victims were directed to send money orders to mailboxes in Buffalo and Ann Arbor, Michigan.
The sentence follows a federal investigation into the collection operation. Prosecutors said the impersonation and false legal claims were used to make payment demands appear legitimate.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to news@fingerlakes1.com.