DEBT COLLECTION AGENCY OWNER PLEADS GUILTY TO LYING ABOUT SERVING HUNDREDS OF CONSUMERS

Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler announced today that Kevin Patrick Fitzgerald, 44, of West Lake Avenue in Baltimore, pleaded guilty before the Baltimore County Circuit Court Judge Michael Finifter to five counts of conspiracy, perjury, subornation of perjury and obstruction of justice in connection with a massive scheme to defraud the District Court of Maryland in Towson. He faces a maximum sentence of 40 years imprisonment and a $20,000.00 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for March 22, 2007.

Fitzgerald owns Patrick Investigations, Inc., a Baltimore County debt collection agency. During the course of the scheme, Fitzgerald and his employees created and filed hundreds of fraudulent affidavits falsely claiming that they had made service of process in lawsuits the company had brought against customers who owed money to a musical instrument company. When the customers failed to appear in court on scheduled trial dates, Fitzgerald obtained default judgments against them based on the fraudulent affidavits of service.

The case was referred to the Criminal Investigations Division of the Attorney General’s Office by the Towson District Court, and was investigated with the assistance of the Maryland State Police and the U. S. Postal Inspectors.