North Carolina woman pleads guilty in debt collection scheme

CHARLOTTE, NC (AP) — A North Carolina woman has pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a debt collection scheme that defrauded hundreds of victims across the country out of nearly $2 million.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte says in a news release that 33-year-old Carissa Eugenia Brown of Charlotte pleaded guilty on Friday before a federal magistrate.

Brown admitted to contacting people sued by creditors, saying she was authorized to collect the debt and offering to settle the debt for a reduced amount, but only if the victims accepted the offer and paid the reduced amount in full, or began immediate payments to one of Brown’s three companies set up to run the scheme.