Workers at one of America's biggest credit repair companies discover their new CEO's dark past... 13 days later he disappeared

Employees astatine 1 of America's largest in installments repair companies stumbled upon their caller CEO's alleged acheronian past, and conscionable 13 days later he disappeared.  

Credit.com - a conglomerate that offers to thief group little aliases destruct their in installments paper indebtedness by negotiating pinch creditors - introduced its caller CEO arsenic Rams Meijer connected June 11, existent and erstwhile employees told The Salt Lake Tribune. 

But each it took was a elemental Google hunt to uncover that Ramses Meijer was accused of 'increasingly intersexual comments and beingness conduct' by immoderate of his past colleagues.

As news of his intersexual misconduct dispersed passim nan workplace, immoderate labor said they feared for their information and respective threatened to quit, according to nan Tribune.

It was nan past straw for galore labor astatine nan conglomerate - which had been struggling for years aft it was sued by nan Consumer Finance Protection Bureau successful 2019.

Credit repair companies cannot complaint customers until it negotiates pinch nan creditors nether a proviso of nan Federal Trade Commission's Telemarketing Sales Rule.

As a result, start-up fees aliases precocious billing fees that Credit.com's genitor company, PGX Holdins and its subsidiaries, would beryllium illegal, nan Consumer Finance Protection Bureau argued.

By March 2023, a Utah national judge barred Credit.com - a conglomerate that included Progrexion, Credit.com, CreditRepair.com and Lexington Law - from telemarketing for 10 years and subsequently ordered a astir $2.7billion settlement.

Additionally, Progrexion faced a $45.8million punishment and Lexington Law faced a $18million settlement.

'Credit repair giants' schemed to 'pad their pockets pinch billions successful fees,' CFPB Director Rohit Chopra said successful nan aftermath.

'This scam is different motion that we must do much to hole nan in installments reporting and scoring strategy successful our country.' 

After paying nan hefty fines, nan companies unopen down their telephone centers and laid disconnected astir 1,000 people.

But matters worsened erstwhile 2 Utah labor separately sued Progrexion for failing to rumor a WARN notice, which requires employers to supply astatine slightest 60 days written announcement of impending wide layoffs.

The companies past revenge for bankruptcy, which stayed nan WARN Act lawsuits and stalled nan settlement.

Meanwhile, institution executives received bonuses, pinch erstwhile CEO Chad Wallace getting a $577,000 prize successful June 2023.

Months later, Credit.com Holdings LLC organized to protect interests of nan lenders, bought nan assets of Progrexion and related companies retired of bankruptcy.

Blue Torch Finance besides signed connected to negociate nan company's assets.

Now, galore of Credit.com's remaining labor are erstwhile Progrexion aliases Lexington Law employees.

But each together, nan conglomerate that erstwhile had respective 1000 labor now has fewer than 200. 

Even much were laid disconnected arsenic precocious arsenic past month. 

To effort to move things around, Meijer was hired to switch Wallace.

But each it took was a elemental hunt to find a May 2023 appellate tribunal ruling connected an entreaty of nan intersexual misconduct title - which was settled privately pinch each of nan documents revenge earlier nan colony sealed.

The ruling stated that online recreation institution Orbitz Worldwide (owned by Expedia Group)mhired nan institution wherever nan plaintiffs worked, Havas, to create an advertizing and trading campaign.

Meijer worked for Orbitz and managed nan task connected their end.

But arsenic nan Havas labor worked connected nan project, they were quickly subjected to 'frequent intersexual comments and unwanted beingness contact,' which escalated to alleged intersexual assaults astatine an Expedia-sponsored event, according to tribunal documents obtained by nan Tribune.

The plaintiffs privately settled pinch Havas, and a proceedings judge ruled that nan colony meant Orbitz should salary little successful a abstracted colony nether Illinois law.

The plaintiffs, however, disagreed and asked nan appeals tribunal to reverse that decision.

They claimed that each employer protected Meijer and enabled his alleged predatory behavior, but based on that nan affects of each company's complicity were chopped and should beryllium treated separately. 

Still, nan appeals tribunal upheld nan first ruling successful favour of nan companies. 

As nan tribunal documents dispersed among nan Credit.com employees, immoderate reportedly made general complaints to nan HR section while others stopped going to nan office.

Some moreover said they would not meet pinch Meijer privately aliases astatine all, and respective threatened to discontinue if he kept his position.

'This was nan cherry connected top,' erstwhile worker Taisia Auston told nan Tribune.

'I felt for illustration nan beingness is saying something, saying "You should go."'

Finally, conscionable 13 days aft introducing nan caller CEO, Lee Hastel, a partner astatine Blue Torch and a Credit.com committee member, told nan unit Meijer was leaving nan company.

He claimed nan committee did not cognize astir Meijer's past, and announced that Scott Mackley would service arsenic nan interim CEO, according to nan Tribune.

Some of nan labor said they believed Hastel and took his connection that he took them seriously, and claimed location are still things worthy fighting for.

Kensey Slone, for example, said she is proud of nan civilization she and her colleagues helped foster, which she said is  supportive, uplifting and diverse.

'We really attraction astir 1 another.'

DailyMail.com has reached retired to Credit.com, Meijer and nan institution he now useful at, WerkMagic, for comment.