Bloomfield Hills law firm ordered to pay restitution over fake debt collection scheme

LANSING — The president of a Bloomfield Hills law firm Tuesday pleaded no contest on behalf of the firm to maintaining a criminal enterprise for filing false documents in Ingham, Genesee and Oakland counties.

Marc Fishman entered the plea in Oakland County Circuit Court during a pre-trial hearing.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel charged Fishman Group P.C. in May 2022 with the 20-year felony in connection with attorneys at the firm filing false proofs of service in collections cases in Genesee, Oakland and Ingham counties.

Judge Mary Ellen Brennan sentenced the corporation to full restitution to all debtors who were improperly garnished and had not been repaid. The corporation paid restitution in the amount of $148,552.68. The court also assessed state costs of $68 and a crime victim fee of $130.

“The perpetrators of these crimes represent some of the worst of what the legal profession has to offer,” Nessel said in a press release provided by her office. “For their own financial gain, these attorneys preyed on vulnerable people who lacked sufficient knowledge about the legal system. I’m grateful for the work of our attorneys in the Financial Crimes Division of the Department of Attorney General for securing this plea.”

Originally, the Fishman Group law firm was charged with one count of conducting a criminal enterprise in Oakland County, where the law firm is located.

Ryan Fishman has related charges still pending in Oakland and Genesee counties.

The press release from the Attorney General's Office did not specify how many people in each county had been affected by the firm's actions or whether individual lawyers had been disciplined.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Firm filed fake proofs of service in Ingham, Genesee and Oakland counties