Tobias Boyland, former owner of several Buffalo, N.Y. area collection agencies, is being sought by U.S. Marshals after he failed to surrender to start a 15-year prison sentence.
Boyland, 45, was convicted on weapons charges last year. He was arrested in June 2009 after a high-profile raid of his business and home that followed a six-month state investigation.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, while serving as the state's attorney general, shut down Boyland’s operations following a six-month investigation that revealed his employees used violence to collect on debts. He also said the employees posed as uniformed police officers.
Boyland once the principal behind nine Western New York collection agencies, was convicted of weapons possession stemming from a June 2009 raid at his home and four other places of business. Several weapons, including an AK-47 assault rifle, were discovered. Boyland already has been convicted and sentenced, but was released on bail by a state appellate court despite strong objections by Erie County (N.Y.) District Attorney Frank Sedita. Boyland earlier served 13 years in prison for attempted robbery. As a convicted felon, he was not permitted to carry firearms.
Boyland's former agencies used several names: Central Resource Management, Final Claims Asset Locators, Final Control Asset Locators, Interchange Payment Solutions, Next Step Services, Portfolio Asset Assurance, Silverbay Services and Teleport.
"He's the real deal. He's a violent criminal," says Sedita. "Let me tell you what I'm most concerned about here, what keeps me awake at night. I'm thinking there's going to be some poor deputy sheriff or some poor state trooper that's going to pull this guy over for some kind of speeding ticket or failure to keep right or something like that. He's going to go up and ask Mr. Boyland for a license and registration and be greeted by a .357 Magnum."
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