Adult camp pleads guilty to deception, agrees to full restitution of $130G

CONCORD - Camps for Grownups, LTD. ("Camps") entered a plea of guilty on Tuesday to promising services to customers they knew they couldn't provide.
The corporation was sentenced on one felony count of committing unfair and deceptive acts or practices in violation of New Hampshire's Consumer Protection Act in Rockingham Superior Court.
Camps is a domestic for-profit corporation, incorporated under the laws of New Hampshire. Camps manages and markets adult activity camps, including but not limited to a Jazz Camp and a Ballroom Dancing Camp. Camps is owned and operated by Byron J. Siegal, 75 of Quincy, Massachusetts.
Under terms of the sentence, Camps is required to make full restitution of some $130,000 to all 85 impacted consumers and is prohibited from accepting any prepayments or deposits for a period of up to 10 years. Camps was also fined $100,000 for its conduct, with the entirety of the fine suspended for 10 years contingent on full compliance with the terms of the sentence.
By pleading guilty, Camps admitted that between April 1 and July 21, 2019, Camps purposely engaged in unfair or deceptive acts or practices in the course of commerce. Specifically, the business admitted to causing email solicitations to be sent, which encouraged consumers to register for the Jazz Camp and maintaining a website that allowed new consumers to register for the Jazz Camp that was scheduled to take place in August, 2019, despite knowing that the business lacked sufficient funds or a reasonable anticipated source of future funding to hold the camp as advertised.
Senior Assistant Attorney General Brandon H. Garod of the Attorney General's Consumer Protection and Antitrust Bureau (the "Bureau") prosecuted this case. Investigator Frederick Lulka and Financial Analyst Carol Guyer, also of the Bureau, investigated the matter based on several consumer complaints received by the Bureau.
To report a violation of New Hampshire's Consumer Protection Act please isit https://www.doj.nh.gov/consumer/complaints/index.htm and submit a complaint form.