Four Security Companies in Trouble with the Law CHARLOTTE NC Security Elite Group and LJW Security Services & Training, Inc. were sued by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman on Wednesday for allegedly using fake job listings and false employment promises to get consumers to buy over-priced training courses. Security Elite is owned by Stephan Edouard, and LJW is owned by Larry Williams. Schneidermans office received complaints against the two unlicensed security companies alleging they would post jobs that didnt actually exist and then tell interested jobseekers they had to take training courses through LJW that would cost approximately $400 before they could be hired. After taking the courses, jobseekers allegedly were told that instead of the jobs advertised they would receive referrals to positions at other companies. Ultimately, they allegedly were told by the companies they were referred to that the jobs didnt exist and the firms had no knowledge of the aforementioned security companies. “Companies that prey upon the vulnerable and the unemployed to make a profit must be held accountable,” Schneiderman said. “There has to be one set of rules for everyone, and our office will go after scammers that rip off New York’s consumers.” Schneiderman has received a temporary restraining order freezing the assets of Security Elite, also known as Secure Enforcement Group, and LJW in order to ensure that they will have sufficient funds to pay for any judgments issued in the case. The license of a Carmel Indiana-based private security firm accused of impersonating police officers and offering services it cannot provide has been suspended. The Indiana Private Investigator and Security Guard Licensing Board voted Wednesday to suspend the license of Security Watch Alert Team LLC, an entity doing business as My Private Police. The Indiana attorney generals office filed an emergency suspension petition on Monday that led to Wednesdays action. The complaint said the irresponsible and misleading tactics of the company present a clear and immediate danger to the public. Security Watch Alert Team has been licensed as a security guard agency since 2013. Government law enforcement officers receive training and have responsibilities that go far beyond those of a private security company, Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller said in a statement. Having these individuals out in the field acting as police puts them and the general public at risk, as well as deceives customers who think they paid for a certain level of protection. According to a news release from the attorney generals office, the firm advertises private police services from active and/or former law enforcement government agents, U.S. military and private security personnel who are all licensed, bonded and armed with arrest powers. But the emergency suspension petition states that these claims are untrue. The companys employees do not have arrest powers and are not connected to the police, the complaint states, and some employees were found to have prior criminal convictions, outstanding arrest warrants and invalid handgun licenses. The complaint states that the way Security Watch Alert Team employees present themselves could create confusion in the community. The employees, the complaint says, wear uniforms nearly identical to those worn by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and the Marion County Sheriffs Department, including similar uniform colors, badges and logos. They also drive vehicles nearly identical to local police cars, which include fully functioning light bars attached to car roofs, the complaint states. Security Watch Alert Team also advertises $25,000 reward bounties to people who report criminal activity, implying a relationship with law enforcement, the complaint states. According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police, this company has no such relationship with 911 services. The Security Watch Alert Team isnt the only Indiana security agency that has drawn the attention of the attorney generals office on complaints of police impersonation. In December of 2014, an administrative licensing complaint was filed against Melvin Eugene Hall IIs security guard company, Urban Tactical Response Agency, on similar allegations. A news release states that Hall is accused of falsely identifying himself to members of the public and potential customers as a police officer on multiple occasions, including a time when he held three men at gunpoint and demanded to see their drivers licenses while performing security services for a local apartment complex. Urban Tactical Response Agency is also accused of fraudulent billing practices, the complaint states. The board is scheduled to hear this case on March 12.
Posted on: Fri, 16 Jan 2015 19:31:34 +0000
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