In addition to accepting the civil penalties, the firms also agreed to stop engaging in any unfair or deceptive acts or practices, comply with all applicable state and federal laws, register their businesses within 30 days of the settlement, and maintain annual registration, as required by law. Supervising Investigator Murat Botas and Investigator Roger Hines, of the Division of Consumer Affairs’ Office of Consumer Protection, conducted these investigations. Deputy Attorneys General Jeffrey Koziar, Cathleen O'Donnell, Renee Cadmus, Zeyad A. Assaf, Monisha A. Kumar, Ana Atta-Alla, Donna J. Dorgan, James Greenberg, Erica Salerno, Bryan S. Sanchez, Amber M. Dailey, Deepta Janardhan, Christopher Meyer, Monica E. Finke, Yale E. Leber, Sara J. Koste, Leslie Prentice, and Andrew F. Esoldi, under the supervision of Consumer Fraud Prosecution Assistant Section Chiefs Jesse Sierant and Chanel Van Dyke within the Division of Law’s Affirmative Civil Enforcement Practice Group, represented the State in the settlements. * * *
The mission of the Division of Consumer Affairs, within the Department of Law and Public Safety, is to protect the public from fraud, deceit, misrepresentation, and professional misconduct in the sale of goods and services in New Jersey through education, advocacy, regulation and enforcement. The Division pursues its mission through its 51 professional and occupational boards that oversee approximately 750,000 licensees in the state, its Regulated Business section that oversees 60,000 NJ registered businesses, as well as through its Office of Consumer Protection, Bureau of Securities, Charities Registration section, Office of Weights and Measures, and Legalized Games of Chance section. Consumers who believe they have been cheated or scammed by a business, or suspect any other form of consumer abuse, can file an online complaint with the State Division of Consumer Affairs by visiting its website or by calling 1-800-242-5846 to receive a complaint form by mail. ### |
