法院永久关停冒充银行与政府机构的债务减免骗局：判决 1.068 亿美元
美国联邦贸易委员会（FTC）宣布，应 FTC 的请求，一家联邦法院已永久禁止一桩涉嫌债务减免骗局的运营方继续从业。该骗局冒充银行、信用卡公司和政府机构，专门锁定老年人与退伍军人。2026 年 10 月 14 日，法院对 Accelerated Debt Settlement Inc.、ADS Resolve LLC、Financial Solutions Group LLC、Unified Capital Services LLC、Mediwerks、Resolution Specialists LLC 和 Futura Capital 等公司被告作出 1.068 亿美元的缺席判决，并禁止涉案的公司与个人被告再从事债务减免行业。
案件源于 2025 年 7 月：应 FTC 的请求，联邦法院当时临时叫停了这家以 Accelerated Debt Settlement 为名的运营。起诉书指控，被告谎称自己是银行和政府机构，声称能把消费者的债务削减 75% 或更多；被告通过电话营销联系消费者，或回应消费者因直邮和网络广告打来的来电，并收取违法的预付费用。
10 月 14 日的命令禁止被告冒充任何政府机构、企业或个人，禁止宣传、营销、推广、出售或协助他人提供任何债务减免产品或服务，禁止从事电话营销，并禁止一系列虚假陈述，以及在没有合法目的的情况下使用消费者的信用报告。此前在 2026 年 3 月，法院已与三名个人被告达成约定命令：Jeffrey Lakes、Robert Knechtel 和 Elizabeth Reaney 三人同样被逐出债务减免行业并须交出资产。其中，针对 Jeffrey Lakes 的判决金额为 1.043 亿美元、与其他被告连带承担，在他交出约 1,260 万美元资产后部分暂缓执行；针对 Robert Knechtel 的 37,299,828 美元判决因其无力支付而暂缓执行；Elizabeth Reaney 须交出 175,000 美元或其位于亚利桑那州 Scottsdale 的住宅产权。从个人被告处收缴的款项将用于赔偿受骗的消费者。相关约定命令由 FTC 提交亚利桑那州联邦地区法院，委员会以 2 比 0 的投票批准。
FTC 消费者保护局局长 Christopher Mufarrige 说：“锁定老年人和退伍军人，假冒他们认识和信任的机构，然后抢走他们辛苦挣来的钱，是恶劣的行为。FTC 将继续对冒充和非法债务减免骗局采取行动。”（GSM 据美国联邦贸易委员会 FTC 通报报道）
Court Permanently Shuts Down Debt Relief Scheme That Impersonated Banks and Agencies: $106.8 Million Judgment
At the request of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), a federal court has permanently banned the operators of an alleged debt relief scheme that targeted seniors and veterans by impersonating banks, credit card companies and government agencies, the FTC announced. On October 14, 2026, the court entered a default judgment of $106.8 million against the corporate defendants Accelerated Debt Settlement Inc., ADS Resolve LLC, Financial Solutions Group LLC, Unified Capital Services LLC, Mediwerks, Resolution Specialists LLC and Futura Capital, banning the corporate and individual defendants involved from the debt relief industry.
The case began in July 2025, when, at the FTC's request, a federal court temporarily halted the Accelerated Debt Settlement operation. The complaint alleged that the defendants falsely claimed to be banks and government entities and said they could reduce consumers' debt by as much as 75% or more. The operators contacted consumers through telemarketing calls, or responded to inbound calls generated by their direct-mail and online ads, and collected illegal advance fees, according to the complaint.
The October 14 order bans the defendants from impersonating any government entity, business or person; from advertising, marketing, promoting, offering for sale or selling any debt relief product or service, or assisting anyone else in doing so; from telemarketing; from a range of misrepresentations; and from using any consumer's credit report without a permissible purpose. Earlier, in March 2026, the court entered stipulated orders with the three individual defendants, Jeffrey Lakes, Robert Knechtel and Elizabeth Reaney, imposing the same industry bans and requiring them to turn over assets. The order against Lakes contains a $104.3 million judgment, jointly and severally with the other defendants, which will be partially suspended after he turns over assets valued at approximately $12.6 million. The $37,299,828 judgment against Knechtel will be suspended based on his inability to pay, and Reaney must transfer either $175,000 or the title to her home in Scottsdale, Arizona. Money collected from the individual defendants would be used to provide redress to defrauded consumers. The FTC filed the orders in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, and the Commission approved each stipulated order by a 2-0 vote.
“Targeting seniors and veterans, pretending to be entities they know and trust, and then robbing them of their hard-earned money is egregious behavior,” said Christopher Mufarrige, Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection. “The FTC will continue to take action against impersonation and illegal debt relief schemes.” (GSM, based on a Federal Trade Commission announcement)
来源：GSM·美国（原文链接）
图片来源：图：位于 Phoenix 的 Sandra Day O'Connor 美国联邦法院大楼（资料图）。照片：Tony Webster，CC BY 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / The Sandra Day O'Connor U.S. Courthouse in Phoenix, Arizona (file photo). Photo: Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
