Business ProfileforWilliams Andrews Burns, LLC
Current Alerts For This Business
As of May 13, 2022:
Final Order on Default issued by SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY CHANCERY DIVISION, ESSEX COUNTY
1. ORDERED that the acts and practices of Defendants constitute multiple instances
of unlawful practices in violation of the CFA and the Advertising Regulations.
2. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Defendants and their owners, officers,directors, shareholders, founders, members, managers, agents, servants, employees,representatives, independent contractors and all other persons or entities directly under their control, are permanently enjoined from engaging in, continuing to engage in, or doing any acts or practices in violation of the CFA and the Advertising Regulations.
3. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that, pursuant to the CFA, N.J.S.A. 56:8-8, Defendants are permanently enjoined from owning, operating or otherwise managing any business or other entity in the State, whether registered with the Division of Consumer Affairs or not, that
advertises, offers for sale, sells, and/or performs rental and sales assistance services for timeshare owners (“Rental Services”), and/or services to collect or recover money for consumers who allegedly lost money in previous scams (“Collections Services”).
4. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that, pursuant to the CFA, N.J.S.A. 56:8-8, Defendants are permanently enjoined from the advertisement, offer for sale, sale and performance of Rental Services and/or Collections Services within the State of New Jersey.
5. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that, pursuant to the CFA, N.J.S.A. 56:8-8, the Certificate of Formation in the State of New Jersey for Williams Andrews Burns is permanently canceled.
6. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that William O'Hanlon is personally liable for the violations of the CFA and the Advertising Regulations committed by Williams Andrews Burns.
7. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that, pursuant to the CFA, N.J.S.A. 56:8-8, Defendants, jointly and severally, shall pay to Plaintiffs consumer restitution in the total amount of $448,135.00. The finds paid by Defendants pursuant to this section of the Final Judgment by Default and Order (“Judgment and Order”) shall be used for equitable relief including, but not limited to, consumer redress and any attendant expenses for the administration of any redress fund. If Plaintiffs determine, in their sole discretion, that redress to consumers is wholly or partially
impracticable, any funds not so used shall be retained by the Division of Consumer Affairs in lieu of redress. Defendants shall have no right to contest the manner of distribution chosen by Plaintiffs. Plaintiffs in their sole discretion may use a designated agent to administer consumer
redress.
8. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that, pursuant to the CFA, N.J.S.A. 56:8-13, Defendants, jointly and severally, shall pay to the Division civil penalties in the total amount of $9,320,000.00.
9. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that, pursuant to the CFA, N.J.S.A. 56:8-19, Defendants, jointly and severally, shall reimburse Plaintiffs for all attorneys’ fees incurred in the prosecution of this action, in the total amount of $384,326.50.
10. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that, pursuant to the CFA, N.J.SA. 56:8-11, Defendants, jointly and severally, shall reimburse Plaintiffs for their investigative costs, in the total amount of $39,531.11.
10. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that, pursuant to the CFA, N.J.SA. 56:8-11,
Defendants, jointly and severally, shall reimburse Plaintiffs for their investigative costs, in the total
amount of $39,531.11.
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As of November 5, 2021:
NEWARK - Acting Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck and the Division of Consumer Affairs today announced the filing of a lawsuit in Essex County Superior Court against a New Jersey company and its owner for allegedly defrauding consumers who paid thousands of dollars each for timeshare rental and resale services that were never provided, and failing to honor its advertised 180-day money back guarantee.
Williams Andrews Burns LLC (WAB), and its principal, William O'Hanlon, allegedly operated a telemarketing scam that preyed on timeshare owners, many of whom were senior citizens and many of whom had already been victimized by prior scams.
The five-count Complaint alleges defendants collected payments in advance from consumers, in amounts ranging from $594 to $2,899, in exchange for the company's promise to rent or resell their timeshares and provide thousands of dollars in guaranteed income, or provide a full refund. However, the Division has been unable to identify a single consumer who received any rental or sale income, and most clients seeking refunds never received their money back.
The Complaint also alleges that defendants offered unwanted collections services to consumers who purchased rental or resale services--without requesting or disclosing an additional fee--and later claimed that consumers' payments for rental or resale services were in fact payments for collections services. As part of these collections services, which defendants characterized as an additional benefit for its rental and resale services customers, defendants promised to recover money for consumers from companies that operated other timeshare-related scams. Instead, the company tried to obtain chargebacks from consumers' credit card companies by fraudulently posing as a friend of the cardholder helping to review past statements and demanding chargebacks for alleged unauthorized transactions.
The State also alleges the defendants violated the Consumer Fraud Act and advertising regulations.
In addition to seeking restitution on behalf of defrauded consumers, the State's suit seeks to impose monetary penalties for the defendants' alleged unlawful and deceptive commercial practices, to terminate WAB's business registration, to recover attorney's fees and investigative costs, to bar any ongoing or future unfair and deceptive business practices by the defendants, and to restrict O'Hanlon's business activities in New Jersey.
Consumers who paid WAB for timeshare rental or resale services that were not provided or those who believe that they have been cheated or scammed by a business, or suspect any other form of consumer abuse, can file an online complaint with the Division by visiting its website or by calling 1-800-242-5846 to receive a complaint form by mail.
LINK: https://www.njoag.gov/acting-ag-bruck-files-lawsuit-against-company-offering-timeshare-rental-resale-and-collection-services-that-allegedly-defrauded-consumers/
In July 2022, BBB completed an investigation into this business. The investigation determined:
BBB files contain a pattern of complaints from consumers that allege issues with service and customer service. Specifically, consumers allege they paid for timeshare rental and collection services but received no money or refund. Consumers further allege difficulty in contacting the business. BBB files contain multiple unanswered complaints.
On July 22, 2022, BBB sent correspondence to Williams Andrews Burns requesting their voluntary cooperation in providing steps it will implement to eliminate the pattern of customer complaints. We are awaiting their response.
As of January 25, 2023, BBB has received no response from Williams Andrews Burns.
BBB will continue to monitor and update the company's report as needed.
Additional business information
As of April 4, 2023
CAMDEN, N.J. – Seven people have been charged for their participation in a telemarketing scheme to defraud timeshare owners over the age of 55, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
William O’Hanlon, 58, and his wife Karen Stefanowski, 60, of Miami, Florida, James Toner, 41, of Lake Mary, Florida, and William Chiusano Jr., 48, of Laguna Niguel, California, are each charged in a 13-count indictment with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and multiple counts of wire fraud. O’Hanlon is additionally charged with three counts of tax evasion and one count of theft of government monies. O’Hanlon, Stefanowski and Toner were arrested today, made their initial appearances in federal court in Florida, and were released on bail.
Alex Klemash, 30, of Williamstown, New Jersey, Michael Lambe, 43, of Mullica Hill, New Jersey, and La’Tresa Jackson, 57, of Lindenwold, New Jersey, pleaded guilty on March 8, 9, and 13, 2023, respectively, before U.S. District Judge Karen M. Williams in Camden federal court to related informations charging them with conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with the telemarketing scheme.
According to documents filed in these cases and statements made in court:
The wire fraud conspiracy and wire fraud charges arise out of the defendants’ alleged participation in a timeshare fraud scheme operated through businesses Williams Andrews Burns LLC, Resort BnB Inc., and Williams & Burns Inc., collectively referred to as “WAB.”
From October 2016 through October 2020, the defendants and additional conspirators engaged in a scheme to financially enrich themselves by selling fraudulent services offered through WAB to timeshare owners, including offering to rent or buy the owners’ timeshares under false and fraudulent pretenses or representations, and offering to recover monies timeshare owners had previously paid in connection with other scams. The conspirators obtained lists of timeshare owners and their contact information, and cold-called them to pitch their various services in return for upfront fees.
The conspirators made numerous false and misleading statements to the timeshare owners, including falsely stating that the timeshare owners had “bonus” timeshare weeks which WAB would rent for them in return for an upfront fee, and falsely guaranteeing thousands of dollars in rental income for the timeshare owners. Once the timeshare owners had signed up and paid their fees for the phony rental services, the conspirators also generally pitched collections/recovery services, offering to obtain refunds of monies previously paid by the timeshare owners in other fraudulent scams, in return for fees. The conspirators made numerous false and misleading statements in many instances to both timeshare owners and their credit card companies.
One of the fraudulent pitches used by the conspirators was to falsely claim that the timeshare owner had been identified as a victim of timeshare fraud and was entitled to monies that were held by a government entity, often referred to as the attorney general’s office or the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and that WAB would obtain those monies for the timeshare owner in return for the payment of an upfront fee. The conspirators also offered additional fraudulent services to timeshare owners, including occasionally offering timeshare buyouts/takeovers.
O’Hanlon ran WAB with the assistance of supervisors Toner, Klemash and Lambe in New Jersey, and Chiusano in California. O’Hanlon and the supervisors also engaged in telemarketing sales, as did Jackson, and Stefanowski was the bookkeeper/controller responsible for drafting checks drawn on the victim timeshare owners’ bank accounts.
Each count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud are punishable by a maximum of 30 years in prison, including an enhancement of up to 10 years in prison for committing such fraud via telemarketing that targeted persons over the age of 55 and victimized 10 or more people over the age of 55. O’Hanlon is also charged with three counts of tax evasion, punishable by up to five years in prison, and one count theft of government monies, which is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The sentences on each count may run consecutively. Each offense also carries a potential fine of the greater of $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
LINK: https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/pr/three-people-plead-guilty-four-more-charged-conspiracy-commit-wire-fraud-connectionAt-a-glance
Related Categories
Business Details
This is a multi-location business.
- Location of This Business
- 1504 Bay Rd # 1017, Miami Beach, FL 33139-3272
- BBB File Opened:
- 9/27/2021
- Related Businesses
- Business Management
- Mr. William OHanlon, President
- Contact Information
Principal
- Mr. William OHanlon, President
Customer Contact
- Mr. William OHanlon, President
- Karen Stefanowski (O'Hanlon), Controller
- James Toner, Sales Associate
- William Chiusano, Sales Associate
- Alex Klemash, Sales Associate
- Michael Lambe, Sales Associate
- La’Tresa Jackson, Sales Associate
- Additional Contact Information
Email Addresses
- Primary
Website Addresses
Customer Complaints
13 Customer Complaints
Need to file a complaint? BBB is here to help. We'll guide you through the process. How BBB Processes Complaints and Reviews
File a ComplaintMost Recent Customer Complaint
10/07/2021
- Complaint Type:
- Service or Repair Issues
- Status:
- Unanswered
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