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Case: 1:09-cv-07423 Document #: 119 Filed: 04/27/11 Page 1 of 33 PageID #:1759UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURTFOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOISEASTERN DIVISIONFEDERAL TRADE COMrvllSSION,Plaintiff,v.2145183 ONTARIO, INC., also d/b/aDYNAMIC FINANCIAL RESOLUTIONS INC.,an Ontario corporation, et aleDefendants.))) Case No. 097423) Judge John F. Grady) Mag. Judge Martin C. Ashman))))))))STIPULATED FINAL JUDGMENT AND ORDER FORPERMANENT INJUNCTION AGAINST DEFENDANTS 2145183ONTARIO INC., DYNAMIC FINANCIAL GROUP (U.S.A.) INC., R & HMARKETING CONCEPTS, INC., AMERICA FREEDOM ADVISORS INC.,JOSEPH G. ROGISTER, AND CHRISTOPHER M. HAYDENPlaintiff Federal Trade Commission ("FTC" or "Commission") commenced thisaction by filing its Complaint for Permanent Injunction and Other Equitable Relief("Complaint"), pursuant to Sections 13(b) and 19 of the Federal Trade Commission Acte'FTC Act"), 15 U.S.C. §§ 53(b) and 57b, and the Telemarketing and Consumer Fraud andAbuse Prevention Act ("Telemarketing Act"), 15 U.S.C. §§ 6101-6108.Defendants 2145183 Ontario Inc., dba Dynamic Financial Resolutions Inc.; DynamicFinancial Group (U.S.A.) Inc.; R & H Marketing Concepts, Inc., dba E Z FinancialRogister, and Christopher M. HaydenSolutions; America Freedom Advisors Inc.; Joseph G. Rogister;Defendants"), having been represented by counsel, and acting by and(the "Stipulating Defendants''),Page 1 of 32(}Jf
Case: 1:09-cv-07423 Document #: 119 Filed: 04/27/11 Page 2 of 33 PageID #:1760through said counsel, have consented to the entry of this Stipulated Final Judgment andOrder for Permanent Injunction Against Defendants 2145183 Ontario Inc.; DynamicFinancial Group (U.S.A.) Inc.; R & H Marketing Concepts, Inc.; America Freedom AdvisorsInc.; Joseph G. Rogister; and Christopher M. Hayden (the "Order") without a trial oradjudication of any issue oflaw or fact herein and without the Stipulating Defendantsadmitting liability for any of the violations alleged in the Complaint.Stipulating Defendants, having requested theNOW THEREFORE, the Plaintiff and StipUlatingCourt to enter this Order, and the Court having considered the Order reached between theparties, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED as follows:FINDINGS1.This is an action by the Commission instituted under Sections 13(b) and 19 ofthe FTC Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 53(b) and 57b, the Telemarketing Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 6101-6108,and the TSR, 16 C.F.R. Part 310. Pursuant to these statutes and regulations, the Commissionhas the authority to seek the relief contained herein.2.The Commission's Complaint states claims upon which relief may be grantedIS U.S.C. §§ 45(a), 53(b), and 5Th, theunder Sections 5(a), 13(b), and 19 of the FTC Act, 15Telemarketing Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 6101-6108, and the TSR, 16 C.F.R. Part 310.3.This Court has jurisdiction over the subject matter of this case and personaljurisdiction over the parties hereto.4.Venue in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinoisis proper pursuant to 15 U.S.C. § 53(b) and 28 U.S.C. § 1391(b), (c), and (d).Page 2 of 32
.Case: 1:09-cv-07423 Document #: 119 Filed: 04/27/11 Page 3 of 33 PageID #:17615.The allegedaUeged activities of Stipulating Defendants are "in or affectingcommerce" as "commerce" is defineddefmed in Section 4 of the FTC Act, 15 U.S.C. § 44.6.Stipulating Defendants, without admitting the allegations set forth in theliability thereunder,Commission's Complaint, and without any admission or finding ofofliabilitythereWlder, agreeto entry of this Order and the fmdings that it contains.7.StipUlating Defendants waive: (a) all rights to seek judicial review orStipulatingotherwise challenge or contest the validity of this Order; (b) any claim that they may haveagainst the Commission, its employees, representatives, or agents; (c) all claims under theU.S.c. § 2412, as amended by Pub. L. 104-121, 110 Stat.Equal Access to Justice Act, 28 U.S.C.847,863-64 (1996); and (d)Cd) any rights to attorney's fees that may arise under said provision847,863-64oflaw.StipUlating Defendants shall each bear their own costs andoflaw. The Commission and Stipulatingattorney's fees incurred in this action.8.This Order is in addition to, and not in lieu of, any other civil or criminalremedies that may be provided by law.9.Entry of this Order is in the public interest.DEFINITIONSFor purposes of this Order, the following defmitionsdefinitions shall apply:1."Asset" or "Assets" means any legal or equitable interest in, right to, orclaim to, any real or personal property, including, but not limited to, "goods,""goods," "instruments,""equipment,""equipment/' "fixtures,""fixtures," "general intangibles," "inventory," "checks," or "notes" (as theseterms are defined in the Uniform Commercial Code), lines of credit, chattels, leaseholds,contracts, mail or other deliveries, shares of stock, lists of consumer names, accounts, credits,Page 3 of 32
Case: 1:09-cv-07423 Document #: 119 Filed: 04/27/11 Page 4 of 33 PageID #:1762premises, receivables, funds, and all cash, wherever located.2."Assisting others" includes but is not limited to: (1) performing customerservice functions, including, but not limited to, receiving or responding to consumercomplaints; (2) formulating or providing, or arranging for the formulation or provision of,any sales script or other marketing material; (3) providing names of, or assisting in thegeneration of, potential customers; (4) performing or providing marketing or billing servicesof any kind; (5) acting as an officer or director of a business entity; or (6) providingtelemarketing services.3."Caller identification service" means a service that allows a telephonesubscriber to have the telephone number, and, where available, name of the calling partytransmitted contemporaneously with the telephone call, and displayed on a device in orconnected to the subscriber's telephone.4."Stipulating Defendants" means Defendants 2145183 Ontario Inc., dbaDynamic Financial Resolutions Inc.; Dynamic Financial Group (U.S.A.) Inc.; R & HMarketing Concepts, Inc., dba E Z Financial Solutions; America Freedom Advisors Inc.;Joseph G. Rogister; and Christopher M. Hayden, and each of them, by whatever other nameseach may be known, and any subsidiaries, successors, assigns, and any fictitious businessentities or business names created or used by these entities.5."Stipulating Corporate Defendants" means Defendants 2145183 OntarioInc., dba Dynamic Financial Resolutions Inc.; Dynamic Financial Group (U.S.A.) Inc.; R &&H Marketing Concepts, Inc., dba E Z Financial Solutions; and America Freedom AdvisorsInc., and each of them, by whatever other names each may be known, and any subsidiaries,Page 4 of 32
Case: 1:09-cv-07423 Document #: 119 Filed: 04/27/11 Page 5 of 33 PageID #:1763successors, assigns, and any fictitious business entities or business names created or used bythese entities.6."Individual Defendants" means Joseph G. Rogister, Sean Rogister, Philip N.Constantinidis, Michael Falcone, Frank PorporinoPorpotino Jr., Christopher M. Hayden, Dwayne 1.J.Martins, and John L. Franks Jr., and by whatever other names each may be known.7."Corporate Defendants" means 2145183 Ontario Inc.; The DynamicFinancial Group (U.S.A.) Inc.; R && H Marketing Concepts, Inc.; Alpha Financial DebtGroup Inc.; America Freedom Advisors Inc.; and Thriller Marketing, LLC, and each oftbem,of them,by whatever other names each may be known,Imown, and any subsidiaries, successors, assigns, andany fictitious business entities or business names created or used by these entities.8."Defendants" means all of the Individual Defendants and the CorporateDefendants, individually, collectively, or in any combination.9."Debt Relief Service" means any product or service represented, directly orby implication, to renegotiate, settle, or in any way alter the terms of payment or other tenustermsoftheofthe debt between a consumer and one or more unsecured creditors or debt collectors,including, but not limited to, a reduction in the balance, interest rate, or fees owed by aconsumer to an unsecured creditor or debt collector.10."Document" or "Documents" means any materials listed in Federal Rule of34(a) and includes writings, drawings, graphs, charts, photographs, audioCivil Procedure 34(a}and video recordings, computer records, and other data compilations from which informationinfonnationcan be obtained and translated, if necessary, into reasonably usable form through detectionPage 5 of 32
Case: 1:09-cv-07423 Document #: 119 Filed: 04/27/11 Page 6 of 33 PageID #:1764devices. A draft or nonidentical copy is a separate Document within the meaning of theterm.11."Established business relationship" means a relationship between the sellerand a person based on: (a) the person's purchase, rental, or lease of the seller's goods orservices or a financial transaction between the person and seller, within the eighteen (18)months immediately preceding the date of the telemarketing call; or (b) the person's inquiryor application regarding a product or service offered by the seller, within the three (3)months immediately preceding the date of a telemarketing call.12."Financial Institution" means any bank, savings and loan institution, creditunion, or any financial depository of any kind, including, but not limited to, any brokeragehouse, trustee, broker-dealer, escrow agent. title company, commodity trading company, orprecious metal dealer.13."Financial related product or service" means any product or servicerepresented, directly or by implication, to:1.provide any consumer, arrange for any consumer to receive, or assistany consumer in receiving, credit, debit, or stored value cards;2.improve, or arrange to improve, any consumer's credit record, credithistory, or credit rating;3.provide advice or assistance to any consumer with regard to anyactivity or service the purpose ofwhlch is to improve a consumer'scredit record, credit history, or credit rating;Page 6 of 32
Case: 1:09-cv-07423 Document #: 119 Filed: 04/27/11 Page 7 of 33 PageID #:17654.provide any consumer, arrange for any consumer to receive, or assistany consumer in receiving, a loan or other extension of credit; or5.provide any consumer, arrange for any consumer to receive, or assistany consumer in receiving any service represented, expressly or byteITIlS ofimplication, to renegotiate, settle, or in any way alter the termspayment or other terms of the debt between a consumer and one ormore secured creditors, servicers, or debt collectors.14."Material" means likely to affect a person's choice of, or conduct regarding,goods or services.15."National Do Not Call Registry" means the National Do Not Call Registry,which is the "do-not-call" registry maintained by the Federal Trade Commission pursuant to16 C.F.R. § nd telephone caU"meanscall"means a telephone call initiated by a telemarketerto induce the purchase of goods or services or to solicit a charitable contribution.17."Person" means a natural person, an organization or other legal entity,including a corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship, limited liability company,association, cooperative, or any other group or combination acting as an entity.18."Plaintifr' means the Federal Trade Commission ("Commission" or "FTC").19."Representatives" means Stipulating Defendants' officers, agents, servants,and employees, and other persons in active concert or participation with any of them whoreceive actual notice of this Order by personal service or otherwise.Page 7 of 32
Case: 1:09-cv-07423 Document #: 119 Filed: 04/27/11 Page 8 of 33 PageID #:176620."Seller" means any person who, in connection with a telemarketingtransaction, provides, offers to provide, or arranges for others to provide goods or services toIconsideration, whether or not such person is under thethe customer in exchange for consideratioll;jurisdiction of the Federal Trade Commission.21.''Telemarketer'' means any person who, in connection with telemarketing,initiates or receives telephone calls to or from a customer or donor.22."Telemarketing""Telemarketing" means a plan, program, or campaign (whether or notcovered by the Telemarketing Sales Rule, 16 C.F .R. Part 310) which is conducted to inducethe purchase of goods or services or a charitable contribution by use of one or moretelephones.ORDERI. PERMANENT BAN ON DELIVERING PRERECORDED MESSAGESIT IS THEREFORE ORDERED that StipulatingStipUlating Defendants, whether actingdirectly or through any person, business entity, trust, corporatioll;corporation, partnership, limitedliability company, subsidiary, division, or other device, or any of them, are herebypermanently restrained and enjoined from initiating outbound telephone calls deliveringprerecorded messages.ll.II. PERMANENT BAN ON MARKETING DEBT RELIEF SERVICESIT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Stipulating Defendants, whether acting directlyor through any person, business entity, trust, corporation, partnership, limited liabilitycompany, subsidiary, division, or other device, or any of them, are hereby permanentlyrestrained and enjoined from engaging in, participating in, or assisting others in thePage 8 of 32
Case: 1:09-cv-07423 Document #: 119 Filed: 04/27/11 Page 9 of 33 PageID #:1767marketing, telemarketing, advertising, promotion, offering for sale, or sale of Debt ReliefServices.m.PROHIBITED PRACTICES RELATING TOFINANCIAL RELATED PRODUCTS OR SERVICESStipUlating Defendants and their Representatives,IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Stipulatingwhether acting directly or through any person, business entity, trust, corporation, partnership,limited liability company, subsidiary, division, or other device, or any of them, in connectionwith the advertising, marketing, promotion, offering for sale or sale of any financial relatedproduct or service, are hereby permanently restrained and enjoined from misrepresenting, orassisting others in misrepresenting, expressly or by implication, any material fact, includingbut not limited to:A. .Any person's ability to improve or otherwise affect a consumer's creditrecord, credit history, or credit rating or ability to obtain credit;B.That any person can improve substantially any consumer's credit record,credit history, or credit rating by permanently removing negative information from theconsumer's credit record, credit history, or credit rating, even where such information isaccurate and not obsolete;C.That any person can obtain a modification of any loan or mortgage orpostpone or cancel the foreclosure of any property by renegotiating, settling, or in any otherway altering the terms of payment or other terms of the debt between a consumer and one ormore secured creditors, servicers, or debt collectors; orPage 9 of 32
Case: 1:09-cv-07423 Document #: 119 Filed: 04/27/11 Page 10 of 33 PageID #:1768D.That a consumer will receive legal representation.IV. PROHIBITED PRACTICES RELATING TO ANY GOODS OR SERVICESIT IS FURTHER ORDERED that StipUlatingStipulating Defendants and their Representatives,whether acting directly or through any person, business entity, trust, corporation, partnership,limited liability company, subsidiary, division, or other device, or finy of them, in connectionwith the advertising, marketing, promotion, offering for sale or sale of any good, service,plan, or program, are hereby permanently restrained and enjoined from:A.Misrepresenting, or assisting others in misrepresenting, expressly or byimplication, any material fact, including but not limited to:1.Any material aspectaspect: of the nature or terms of any refund, cancellation,exchange, or repurchase policy, including, but not limited to, the likelihood of a consumerobtaining a full or partial refund, or the circumstances in which a full or partial refund will begranted to the consumer;2.That any person is affiliated with, endorsed or approved by, orotherwise connected to any other person; government entity; public, non-profit, or other noncommercial program; or any other program;3.The total costs to purchase, receive, or use, or the quantity of, the good4.Any material restriction, limitation, or condition on purchasing,or service;receiving, or using the good or service; and5.Any material aspect of the performance, efficacy,efficacy. nature, orcharacteristics of the good or service; andPage 10 of 32
Case: 1:09-cv-07423 Document #: 119 Filed: 04/27/11 Page 11 of 33 PageID #:1769B.Engaging in, causing other persons to engage in, or assisting other persons toengage in, violations of the TSR, including, but not limited to:1.Misrepresenting, expressly or by implication, any material fact,including, but not limited to:a.Anymaterial aspect of the performance, efficacy, nature, orcentral characteristics of the good or service; orb.Any material aspect of the nature or terms of any refund,cancellation, exchange, or repurchase policy for the good or service.2.Initiating any outbound telephone call to any person at a telephonenumber on the National Do Not Call Registry unless the seller proves that:a.The seller has obtained the express agreement, in writing, ofsuch person to place calls to that person. Such written agreement shall clearly evidence suchperson's authorization that calls made by or on behalf of a specific party may be placed tothat person, and shall include the telephone number to which the calls may be placed and thesignature of that person; orb.The seller has an established business relationship with suchperson and that person has not previously stated that he or she does not wish to receiveoutbound telephone calls made by or on behalf of the seller.3.Initiating any outbound telephone call to a person when that personhas previously stated that he or she does not wish to receive outbound telephone calls madeby or on behalf of either a seller whose goods or services are being offered, or a charitableorganization for which a charitable contribution is being solicited.Page 11 of 32
Case: 1:09-cv-07423 Document #: 119 Filed: 04/27/11 Page 12 of 33 PageID #:17704.Abandoning, or causing others to abandon, any outbound telephonecall to a person by failing to connect the call to a live operator within two seconds of theperson's completed greeting, unless StipulatingStipUlating Defendants or their Representative prove thatthe following four conditions are met:a.Stipulating Defendants and their Representatives employtechnology that ensures abandonment of no more than three percent of all calls answered byless than thirty days, ora person, measured over the duration of a single calling campaign, ififlessseparately over each successive 3D-day period or portion thereof that the campaigncontinues;b.Stipulating Defendants and their Representatives, for eachtelemarketing call placed, allow the telephone to ring for at least fifteen seconds or four ringsbefore disconnecting an unanswered call;c.Whenever a live operator is not available to speak with thecaU within two seconds after the person's completed greeting,person answering the callStipUlating Defendants or their Representatives promptly playa recorded message that statesthe name and telephone number of the seller on whose behalf the call was placed; andd.Stipulating Defendants or their Representatives retain records,in accordance with 16 C.F.R§ 310.5 (b)-Cd), establishing compliance with the precedingthree conditions.5.Failing to transmit or cause to be transmitted to any calleridentification service in use by a recipient of a telemarketing call: (i) the telephone number ofthe telemarketer making the call, or the telephone number for customer service of the sellerPage 12 of 32
Case: 1:09-cv-07423 Document #: 119 Filed: 04/27/11 Page 13 of 33 PageID #:1771on whose behalf the call is made, and, (ii) when made available by the telemarketer's carrier,the name of the telemarketer or seller to any caller identification service in use by a recipientof a telemarketing can;caU; and6.Failing to disclose truthfully, promptly
Inc., dba Dynamic Financial Resolutions Inc.; Dynamic Financial Group (U.S.A.) Inc.; R & H Marketing Concepts, Inc., dba E Z Financial Solutions; and America Freedom Advisors Inc., and each of them, by whatever other na
