MN firm owner settles: go out of business, pay $10K, pop up under new name

[Hardway]

After widespread failure to conduct required background checks on employees, and the discovery that at least one felon was working for them at events related to Super Bowl LII, EPG Security Group will be required to let its Minnesota license lapse. This per a finalized settlement with the state protective agent & private detective board. Terms also require the firm's owner Erik Bergling to pay a $10,000 penalty and to not be a manager or owner in the industry for 10 years.

https://kstp.com/news/security-firm-...esota/5590240/

However, Bergling is listed as one of only three key staff of the newly-licensed Aegis Logistics. Aegis has the same phone number EPG used to have. And one of the other two individuals listed on the Aegis site is Partner/General Manager Hanna Bergling Provost, also formerly of EPG, and most likely Erik's sister or something.

This shell game happens in this market pretty frequently, with company names and officers changing to avoid consequences of bad business and regulatory punishment. One guy up here (Dan Seman/Blackwell) went as far as to change his OWN name to try and outrun his bad reputation.

[Condo Guard]

Good info - I remember reading here and elsewhere about this case. Same thing happens up here in Washington. A very bad loophole in the law(s) that allows this industry to have the crummy reputation it does.

[Soper]

Contact the state...

[Hardway]

I will, but it appears that this arrangement would still technically satisfy the settlement. Still stinks. I don't know what level of resources the PDPA Board could allocate to prove he's a de facto manager... it's a minimally-staffed agency.