NEW YORK -- New York authorities say they've shut down a debt collection company that was falsely telling people they'd be thrown in jail if they didn't pay immediately.
State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo says the Buffalo firm routinely broke the law by having its collectors impersonate law enforcement officials. In reality, the company was run by ex-convicts. It did nationwide business under several names.
Owner Tobias Boyland was arrested Tuesday after investigators serving a search warrant discovered a loaded pistol. A judge issued a temporary order closing the company's doors.
The company was the subject of an expose on Dateline NBC in March.
Messages left with the company and Boyland's lawyer weren't immediately returned.
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