Debt Collector Arrested for Theft; Never Gave Clients their Money

A New Orleans-area debt collector was arrested by local police last week on charges that he pocketed some $65,000 in recovered money that was intended for clients.

Clark J. Pellegrin Jr. was arrested Thursday by police in Kenner, La., home to his former employer, debt collection agency James Clark and Associates. A police spokesman told the The Times-Picayune that he remained in jail as late as Friday in lieu of a $30,000 bond.

Pellegrin allegedly stole $65,593 from June 2010 to January of this year by simply depositing collected debt payments directly into his own bank account rather than forwarding them to clients.

Kenner police say that multiple companies that had contracted for Pellegrin’s collection services came forward to report the activity to law enforcement officials. The police spokesman estimated that between 15 and 20 companies were victims.

Pellegrin was officially booked on two counts of theft over $1,500.