Bronson Announces Arrests Of Two Southwest Florida Telemarketers
For Information, Contact:
Captain Glenn Kramer:
(386) 623-6106
June 21, 2010
TALLAHASSEE – Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson today announced the arrests of two unlicensed Southwest Florida telemarketers who were allegedly running a telemarketing business without being licensed and employing unlicensed telemarketers.
Arrested by Bronson’s Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement (OALE) were Nicholas Anthony Salerno, 40, of Bradenton, and Ricky Permanand, 43, of Sarasota.
Authorities allege that Salerno and Permanand and their unlicensed employees were soliciting telemarketing sales without a license at Timeline Debt Resolutions in Sarasota last October during a compliance inspection conducted by Bronson’s Consumer Services Division. According to investigators, Salerno entered into a fine agreement with the department at the time to pay $5,000 for failure to register with the department. The following month the department became aware that the check to cover the fine was issued on an account with insufficient funds, triggering a demand letter for the funds, and the business refused to pay the stipulated fine.
The case was turned over to Bronson’s Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement to initiate a criminal investigation of the matter. After consultation with the State Attorney’s Office for the Twelfth Judicial Circuit in Sarasota County, warrants were issued for Salerno for unlicensed commercial telephone sales, a third degree felony, and the issuance of a worthless check, a first degree misdemeanor.
Permanand was also charged for unlicensed commercial telephone sales. He was arrested this morning and immediately booked into the Sarasota County Jail following the arrest of Salerno earlier this month.
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