Student telemarketer charged

To the Commissioner of Competition,

I’m writing to you in hopes of convincing you to have your staff meet with me again and understand the nature of my involvement in the crime you’re charging me with. I can assure you that I had no idea what the company was up to, and would never have willfully participated had I known the telemarketing operation was illegal. Please, you have to understand my situation, and drop the charges against me. If this were to go on my record, my future would most certainly be ruined.

Two years ago, I started working at the office-supply company. My job was pretty standard; I had to call businesses on our registry and remind them that they’re running low on paper. I had a script to read from, but that was mostly because it was recommended we stick to the language that accountants and office staff were accustomed to.

I asked my friend where the company stored the merchandise since we operated from a fairly small office. He said the boss had told him once that the orders go through to the central warehouse and they take care of shipping from there. He also said to keep our pay cheques higher and operational costs low, the company would only sign a month-by-month lease so chances are we might have to move offices more than once every year.

A few months later, our office relocated, but I didn’t see this as a red flag because my friend had already explained the need to maintain lower operational costs. If the landlord here charges less for the space, why not? That would mean more money for me at the end of the month.

And then one day our office was raided by the police and members of your investigational teams. I don’t need to tell you how the rest of the story goes, as your officers were there every step of the way. But all I want to do is assure you that I had no idea I was a part of this scheme. It never really occurred to me that the company was running illegal operations pretending to be a regular paper supplier and selling the product at four times as much.

When I look back, I see that there were a few red flags but none that can truly lead me to believe that anything wasn’t right.

You have to believe that I am not a law-breaker and I have never participated in any criminal activities. That’s why having a charge of this nature on my record is such a serious matter. I would never be able to apply for a job or a loan without having to check the little box that says “convicted criminal”. My travels will be limited and my whole future is compromised. All I wanted to do was to finish my studies and start my career as a professional. Now I have no idea what will happen to me.

If you are unable to drop the charges against me, then I ask that you at least consider decreasing the sentence. If I knew then what I know now, I would have never stepped foot in that place.

Please don’t let all of us pay for their crimes. All I was trying to do was earn a living.