Ever since I wrote last summer about her unfortunate experience with Bankcard Empire, Audrey Lazarus of St. Louis Park has been diligent about keeping Whistleblower up to date with the latest news about the work-at-home company that took $10,000 of her money. Today, Lazarus let me know that the authorities have raided the telemarketing company's Arizona offices and arrested Leslie Mersky, a relative of Bankcard Empire president David Mersky, on charges of " forgery and fraudulent schemes and artifices."

The Arizona Republic reports that Postal Inspection Service spokeswoman Patricia Armstrong says her agency "had been looking into consumer complaints about Bankcard Empire for about a year before executing the warrants."