Parsippany Recruiting Firm Fined By New Jersey Attorney General

PARSIPPANY, NJ — An employment and staffing service firm in Parsippany, which reportedly operated without registering in New Jersey will pay a fine after a state investigation, officials said.

Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Division of Consumer Affairs announced the settlement on Thursday, following an investigation by the DCA into whether the businesses violated consumer protection laws and regulations, including the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act and personnel service regulations.

Twenty-two firms were named in the investigation and they will pay a total of $62,000.

The firms offered services ranging from "executive-level employment placements to hourly labor assignments," Platkin said. They each agreed to resolve the investigation, and were assessed civil penalties ranging from $2,000 to $8,000 each, Platkin said.

In Parsippany, Professional Search Network will be required to pay out $2,000, according to the settlement.

Officials said two of the businesses were operating as temporary help service firms, providing temporary workers on their payroll to employers on temporary work assignments.

The other 20 were consulting and temporary help service firms, "which procure interviews for job seekers with prospective employers and for prospective employers with job seekers," said officials.

“Firms doing business in New Jersey must comply with the laws in place to protect the public and ensure compliance with industry standards, and that begins with being properly registered,” Platkin said.

Professional Search Network, located at 900 Lanidex Plaza Suite 245 in Parsippany, offers temporary, permanent, and on-site recruiting services for organizational functions such as finance, mortgage, information technology, engineering and administration.

The company was started in 2006 by recruiting industry veterans from three of the largest financial recruiting firms in the nation, the Professional Search Network website says.

Professional Search Network along with the other 21 agencies have agreed to register their businesses within 30 days of the settlement, said Platkin.

The agencies also agreed to comply with all applicable state and federal laws, to stop engaging "in any unfair or deceptive acts or practices," and to maintain annual registration, officials said.

Platkin stated that the fines "send a clear message" that the state will not tolerate "skirting the registration process and unlawfully operating outside of the Division’s regulation and oversight."

With reporting from Michelle Rotuno-Johnson/Patch staff.