A collection operation run by a Buffalo resident whose employees threatened consumers and posed as law enforcers was shut down Tuesday by the state Attorney General's office.

Tobias Boyland, who authorities said was in charge of an operation that consisted of at least nine debt-collection companies across Western New York, was taken into custody by Erie County sheriffs after the suspect, located at home, was found to be carrying a loaded .380-gauge semiautomatic pistol.

According to the lawsuit filed by the office of Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, Boyland, a convicted felon, and three other people ran numerous debt-collecting companies that operated out of at least four locations in Western New York. The other three people named in the lawsuit are Kayla Pritchett, Dellian Sharp and Dorian Wills. Both Sharp and Will also have criminal records, investigators said.

The names of the companies associated with the collection operation included Central Resource Management, Final Claims Asset Locators, Final Control Asset Locators, Interchange Payment Solutions, Next Step Services, Portfolio Asset Assurance, Silverbay Services and Teleport.

The AG said collectors routinely made scripted telephone calls designed to intimidate consumers into paying their debts by pretending to be law-enforcement officers. If consumers failed to pay, they were threatened with arrest and incarceration. These employees also falsely informed consumers that they were being sued in civil court.

The action is part of a larger investigation by Cuomo into unlawful debt-collection practices. Earlier this month, the AG announced settlements with three other area debt-collection companies to reform their deceptive methods. Investigators have also subpoenaed nearly 20 companies and law firms operating as debt collectors throughout New York state, and shut down two collectors for threatening and intimidating consumers into paying debts that they did not owe.