Janice Ledden, The Owner & Michael Ledden, Co-Conspirator
Cobra Collections operates as a corporation but every company is managed and operated by people. With smaller companies, decision-making and responsibility comes down to the owner and president of the company. It is in that spirit that I believe everyone should understand the background of Janice Ledden.
Assessment of Janice Ledden (Updated: 6/9/07)
Jan/Feb 2005
June 2007 |
Cobra Collections is owned and managed by Janice B. Ledden. However, I first became a business of client of Janice sometime in 2003. She worked at Credit Adjustment Bureau as the General Manager. I was introduced to her by Felton Elliott (who turned out to be one of our deadbeat tenants) who also had a business himself. I found Janice to be smart, competent, convincing, credible, and a go-getter. I thought she was a capable business woman. It would obviously be sometime later (over the course of the next 3 years) that I would gradually change my opinion of her. After a series of phone calls, emails, and written letters with minimal and unsatisfactory responses. I finally issued my Cease & Desist Order to Cobra Collections and Janice Ledden in December 2006. Janice Ledden is a very smart, crafty woman when it comes to collections and the local laws. She can be very charming, disarming, and convincing when she needs to be and projects an air of confidence that is attractive to her clients. She understands how deadbeat debtors operate and our legal system well. I would venture to say that she is smarter and craftier than many attorneys in the local area. Under normal circumstances, this would be an asset. Unfortunately, she has engaged in some very unethical, questionable, and even borderline criminal behavior. This has put many of her now ex-clients in a very uncomfortable and undesireable situation. All of this makes Janice a very formidable legal opponent. You must have your facts and details straight or it will be used against you. She always has a "reasonable" explanation and rationale for what she does or does not do. She knows how to use the inherent goodness within most people to her advantage. This often comes in the form of giving "more time" or "second chances". She produces new excuses all the time. To clarify, I do not have a large "axe to grind" with her in the traditional sense. My financial losses are minimal compared to my friends in the business community. But I do think my business reputation has been tarnished by my association with her. Like many others, I have been jerked around and been given the run-around by her. She cannot be honest or forthcoming. I am disturbed by her actions and the scam she seems to be pulling on so many decent people and legimate businesses. It became clear to me many people were being victimized and that I was only one of many. |
I have always found it interesting that she would select a Cobra to represent her business. Is there any symbolism here? Janice B. Ledden is married to Michael R. Ledden. Michael has, at times, participated in the management and operations of the company. He is listed as the CFO in the Annual Filing. The photo of Michael R. Ledden was taken in May 2005 during happier times. You may want to view Janice's most current job resume. |
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Janice's True Identity Revealed? (Updated: 2/11/09) Janice Ledden = Janice Marie Bradshaw Collins Ligon Bass Ledden We currently know Janice as Janice Ledden. However, Janice has been married 3 times that I know of. Normally, I would not get into the marriage issue as it starts getting a bit personal. However, it is relevant in this case. Any research made must take into account Janice's prior surnames. In researching the Federal Bankruptcy records (based on leads provided by Jerry Bolt), Janice Marie Bass filed for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy in 9/19/2001, Case #01-42351. It clearly states her current name and prior aliases. Janice Marie Collins, Janice Marie Bradshaw, Janice Marie Ligon, and Janice Marie Bass. John Golden knew Janice's father, Henry Bradshaw. Henry Bradshaw later divorced Janice's mother. That would put Janice's maiden name as Bradshaw. A reliable source (who wants to remain anonymous) says that she was married to Wayne Collins, the natural father to Janice's 3 adult children. This appears to be accurate but has not yet been fully verified. Therefore, I now believe Janice's complete name is: Janice Marie Bradshaw Collins Ligon Bass Ledden. As such, her middle initial can be "M", "C", "B", or "L". From what I can tell, she has used different variations of the middle initial depending on who her husband was at the time. Known names of prior husbands appear to be Joseph Paul Ligon, Michael Bass, and Michael Ledden. Janice's birth date is October 7, 1961. I believe I have figured out Janice's Social Security Number based on the combined information of multiple reports. However, I will not reveal it here on this website for now. I will turn it over to the proper authorites if they need it.
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Jan/Feb 2005
June 2007 |
Second Fairbanks Citizen Comes Forward on the Activities of Janice and Michael Ledden (Updated: 2/9/09)
Since last night's update, a second concerned Fairbanks citizen stepped forward to report what they knew about Janice and Michael Ledden. It appears that word is getting out on Janice Ledden's checkered past. There is some new information which I will report but most of the information I received corroborated the information from the first Fairbanks citizen. It appears that the second Fairbanks citizen found about Janice's true past from this website since Summer 2008. The second Fairbanks citizen wishes to remain anonymous and I will honor that request.
I have been aggressively trying to find out how much the employers of Janice Ledden know about her criminal past. Although I cannot yet confirm this, I have reason to believe that the employers now know about Janice's past but have chosen not to do anything about it. It is incomprehensible to me how Janice has managed to hold on to her job this long. I am quite amazed. It goes to show either how smart Janice is or how gullible her employers are.
It appears that a new Collections Department was formed for this Fairbanks law firm after Janice was employed and that she appears to be reasonably successful in her collections efforts. Further, it now appears that several Fairbanks businesses are now utilizing her collection services.
It appears that Janice and Michael are still driving their pale green Ford Escape which now has an Alaska Auto Tag of #EWF 994.
2009 Update! Janice Discovered Working for Small Fairbanks Alaska Law Firm (Updated: 2/7/09)
It has been over a year since there has been any substantial update on the whereabouts of Janice and Michael Leden. We already knew that Janice and Michael settled into their new lives in Fairbanks Alaska when they fled Columbus, GA. Beyond that, very little was known until I received an email and phone call tonight from a very concerned Fairbanks Alaska citizen. The person that contacted me currently wishes to remain anonymous and I will honor that request.
Janice currently works for a small law firm as an Office Manager for a small law firm (which I have been asked to not publicly name or identify) in Fairbanks Alaska. Janice goes by "Jan Ledden" in Fairbanks Alaska. It is unclear what "Jan's" current responsibilities are but I was told that during her employment, she did payroll, billing, managed personnel files, and oversaw the collections department. Essentially, "Jan" is back in the position of handling sensitive personal, company, and financial information.
I was told she has been in this position for around 1.5 years. This loosely coincides with her departure from Columbus, GA and arrival into the Fairbanks Alaska area. Janice being the intelligent, charming, charismatic woman that she can be obviously managed to talk some unknowing employer into hiring her. It appears that this employer did not do much of a background or reference check otherwise they would have discovered Janice's checkered past and not hire her.
It is unclear (at this time) whether the employer knows about Janice's past. However, this employer and law firm stands to be potentially liable for any of Janice's actions if they continue employing her if they know about her criminal past. This employer and law firm should take measures to protect the firm's employees and clients by terminating Janice's employment.
It is also unclear exactly how many of Janice's co-workers know about her checkered past although it seems likely some have found and read this website and now know the truth about her. I feel sorry for the co-workers that have to endure Janice's presence not knowing when a bomb will drop causing havoc for them and their employer.
I have been informed that Janice continues to visit the local Army base to receive medical care (using Michael Ledden's military medical benefits).
I have been told that Michael Ledden is currently working at an eyeclass clinic and he has also been an occasional computer technician for this law firm. It would not surprise me if Janice has secretly asked Michael to backup confidential company files so that if she gets caught and gets fired, she can use those files and set up shop elsewhere. If she backs up that law firm's collections files, I have no doubt she will continue collecting on those files even if her employment was terminated. That is exactly what happened in Columbus, GA and that is what will happen in Fairbanks Alaska.
Because it appears Janice has managed to entrench herself with this law firm, her access to sensitive personnel and client files, established a collections department, and consequently interacted with many business clients, it would not surprise me if a scandal breaks out in the business community sometime in the near future.
Janice the Gypsy (Updated: 6/27/07)
Based on my research, it appears Janice has moved around quite a bit over the years. Of course, that in itself is not a crime in itself. However, we need to take all the information into consideration when viewing the larger picture. In addition to Columbus, she appears to have lived in other Georgia cities and towns including Manchester, Shiloh, and Talbotton. I am curious to know what she did as she moved from city to city and why she moved.
I know Janice can be a chameleon in personality and in surname. Part of me wonders if she had a gypsy-like existence prior to moving to Columbus, GA.
In Columbus, I was informed Janice worked for "Triple J Collections" prior to Credit Adjustment Bureau. "Triple J Collections" has since been bought out by "Professional Collection Service". Prior to "Triple J", Janice worked for a collection agency owned by Sue Peterson (now deceased) in Phenix City.
Janice is now on the run after shutting down their office and vacating her rental home. We believe she is now leaving the State of Georgia. We are currently looking into where she might end up.
Janice is an Ex-Con and Convicted Felon (Updated: 6/4/07)
Perhaps the most startling piece of information that has surfaced and reported to me is that Janice was an ex-con and convicted felon. I was careful to check the facts on this one by verifying the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) website myself.
It appears that Janice Ligon (GDC ID: 0000753726) was incarcerated from 7/20/1993 to 1/10/1995. It appears she was originally sentenced to 5 years for the major offense, "Theft by Taking", Case #315714. You can run the query from the GDC Inmate Query Screen yourself and type in "Ligon" in the last name field and "Janice" in the first name field. You will need to click "All offenders, past and present". You should get a result similar to the image shown below.
This appears to describe the person I know as Janice Ledden given that the physical description is a white female born in 1961, 5'1", 165 lb, blue eyes, and brown hair. I am in the process in gathering more information regarding the circumstances surrounding this case.
During the time Janice was incarcerated, a reliable source says that Janice's three children were cared for by John P. Ligon who appears to be married to Janice at the time.
Janice Bass Filed Chapter 7 Bankruptcy (2001)
Based on information by Jerry Bolt, it led me to investigate the Federal Bankruptcy database. I found an abundance of information which included the many aliases used by Janice over th years.
Janice Marie Bass (Case #01-42351) filed Chapter 7 Bankruptcy on 9/19/2001. The case was fully discharged on 1/29/2002.
Janice B. Ligon Filed Chapter 13 Bankruptcy 3 Times (1992 to 1996)
Janice B. Ligon, along with husband Joseph Paul Ligon, filed Chapter 13 Bankruptcy a total of three times from October 26, 1992 to February 14, 1996 (Cases: 92-41480, 94-53355, and 95-40399).
Janice Ligon's Outstanding Income Tax Liens
Janice Ligon appears to have accumulated some income-related tax liens from Meriwether County and Harris County. It appears she owes over $8,400.00 combined to the Georgia Income Tax Division and the Internal Revenue Service. However, there is a possibility that was dismissed through her Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing in 2002.
2007 Georgia State Tax Lien Discovered for Michael Ledden (Updated: 7/12/07)
A concerned citizen brought an outstanding 2007 Georgia State tax lien against Michael Ledden to my attention. This is a ridiculous lien for Michael to have since this tax lien is relatively small. However, since Michael is following in Janice's footsteps, it is no surprise this would also be ignored and go unpaid. Special thanks to the concerned citizen for this piece of information.
Letters by Janice Ledden
If you have received any letters or correspondence related to Cobra Collections and would like to share them with others, please FAX them to 888.696.3441 and I will post them here.
* Read the December 20, 2006 letter I received. Notice how she is going to threaten to sue me for going public with information and how she stands by her "business reputation"? Wow, great reputation. The $200 check she sent me bounced back NSF. Well, if she ever comes out of hiding, she will learn how telling the truth is an absolute defense. And I got some friends who would be more than happy to testify.
* Nicole of Meacham, Earley, & Fowler forwarded this May 3, 2007 letter to me. Janice is very sly. After nearly a year of giving people the run-around, she announces that she "believes" she is a victim of embezzlement. I believe that people are catching up with her on a number of fronts and she is finally feeling the heat and pressure. She has the nerve to threaten bankruptcy if people try to sue her or press criminal charges. Regarding her six children, she is trying to get sympathy by including her two step-children. Her other children are adult and long living on their own. She is now asking for 90 more days. I really want to hear from someone that is getting any money whatsoever. If she can't make good on my small $200 check, how will she owe others that go into thousands and tens of thousands of dollars? Her new mailing address is a P.O. Box? How convenient. I say to everyone, "Don't be a sucker again" and believe her stories.
Janice's Resume & Michael's Notes for Possible Job Positions (Updated: 6/10/07)
Jerry Bolt unexpectedly found copies of Janice's discarded resumes and shared it with us. These appear to be authentic and are hand-written notes of her resume and a computer printed version of her resume. Michael Ledden appears to be job-hunting also as this appears to be discarded hand-written notes on possible job positions he is seeking.
Jerry Bolt Opens His Files on Janice Ledden (Updated: 6/4/07)
Jerry Bolt, widowed husband of Sarah Miller Bolt (owner of defunct Credit Adjustment Bureau), has been in contact with me. He appears to have extensive first-hand information in many areas. He knew Janice personally and last saw her in 2005. He has been instrumental in providing some key information on this website. I thank him for his contributions and the large pieces of information and crucial leads he has provided.
Jerry's research has led me to discover Janice's true (and perhaps complete) identity and her extensive Bankrupcty filings.
Jerry issued a Warning Letter on November 1, 2005 to Whom It May Concern.
Jerry shares a letter he received on November 10, 2005 by the State of Georgia, Governor's Office of Consumer Affairs.
Janice & Michael are currently living (and hiding) in Fairbanks Alaska (Updated: 1/16/08)
It has been confirmed. I cannot reveal my source but as of December 22, 2007, I received reliable information that Janice & Michael Ledden and his children are in Fairbanks, Alaska.