Police: Telemarketer Had Workers Fake Disability To Sell Greeting Cards

RIVERSIDE (AP) — Investigators say a California telemarketing firm claiming to help developmentally disabled adults had workers fake mental disabilities during nationwide phone calls to sell greeting cards.

Riverside police raided United Handicap Assembled Products on Tuesday and seized computers and business records. The California secretary of state lists United Handicap as "suspended" to do business in the state.

Detective Brian Money says the company is being investigated for theft by false pretenses, false advertising and labor code violations.

The company says it helps developmentally challenged people become self-sufficient. Former employee Nikki Franks tells the Riverside Press-Enterprise that telemarketers pretend to be mentally disabled.

The company website says its line of greeting cards is designed by disabled artists, including a quadriplegic who paints with a pen or brush held in his mouth.

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