Markets Wired

The Federal Trade Commission has honored Assistant United States Attorney Ellyn Lindsay with its fourth Annual Criminal Liaison Award for her work to combat consumer fraud. With assistance from the FTC, other U.S. law enforcement agencies, and Canadian authorities, Lindsay successfully prosecuted telemarketers operating from abroad who prey on older Americans.

At an awards ceremony held in Los Angeles on May 27, 2010 with United States Attorney André Birotte, FTC Commissioner Edith Ramirez said, “This award formally recognizes the hard work and dedication of prosecutors like Ellyn Lindsay who advance the core purpose of the FTC’s criminal liaison program – coordination and successful prosecution of the worst-of-the-worst fraud artists who prey upon American consumers.”

A California native, Lindsay has been an Assistant U.S. Attorney for more than two decades. She began her career prosecuting drug cases, and later made fraud her specialty.

The FTC often refers cases to criminal prosecutors. The agency created its Criminal Liaison Unit in 2002 to coordinate criminal referrals for FTC cases, which are brought under civil authority. These cases include repeat offenders, egregious behavior, or other evidence that criminal conduct is involved. Since its inception, the FTC’s Criminal Liaison Unit has contributed to hundreds of prosecutions of fraudulent telemarketers, sellers of bogus cancer cures, sweepstakes scammers, and others.

The Federal Trade Commission works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, click http://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov or call 1-877-382-4357. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 1,800 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. For free information on a variety of consumer topics, click http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/consumer.shtm.