Bronson Announces Two Arrests In Central Florida Telemarketing Sweep
TALLAHASSEE â€" Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson today announced the arrest of two unlicensed Central Florida telemarketers.
(Media-Newswire.com) - TALLAHASSEE – Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson today announced the arrest of two unlicensed Central Florida telemarketers.
Arrested by Bronson’s Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement ( OALE ) was Gunnar Jenkins, 31 and Nicholas Thomas, 28, both of Orlando.
Authorities allege that Jenkins was operating Timeshare Gold Line, a telemarketing business, without a license. The business is located at 7200 Lake Ellenor Drive, Suite 202, Orlando. On April 22, a compliance inspection was conducted by Bronson’s Division of Consumer Services. During the inspection, it was determined that Jenkins was operating Timeshare Gold Line without being properly licensed by the Department. Jenkins had previously been warned for operating an unlicensed telemarketing business and was again found to be in violation of Florida’s Telemarketing laws.
During the same inspection, authorities discovered that Nicholas Thomas, an employee of Timeshare Gold Line, was soliciting telemarketing sales without a license. Thomas had been previously warned for the same violation.
Both suspects were arrested for violations of the Florida Telemarketing Act, which are third- degree felony violations.
During the inspection, Thomas had presented a Florida Identification Card to an OALE investigator as identification. It was determined that the Identification card had been altered. Investigators said that the reason for Thomas altering the ID was an attempt to conceal the fact that Thomas is a Jamaican citizen whose immigration visa had expired. This made him ineligible to obtain a current identification card.
Following his arrest, Jenkins was immediately booked into the Orange County Jail on the charge of operating a telemarketing business without a license. Bond was set at $2,500.
Thomas was immediately booked into the Orange County Jail on the charges of soliciting sales without a license and counterfeiting a Florida Identification card. Bond was set at $2,650.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services regulates the telemarketing industry in Florida through its Division of Consumer Services. Bronson encourages consumers to call his office at 1 800 HELP FLA ( 435-7352 ) to check on the registration status or complaint history of such businesses. Consumers wishing to file complaints against telemarketers can do so online at www.800helpfla.com or by calling the toll-free number listed above to obtain a complaint form.
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