Your Federal Judgment Needs More Than a Piece of Paper
Winning in federal court is one thing. Actually collecting is another. We enforce SDNY and EDNY judgments across Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island — with the legal authority to levy bank accounts, garnish wages, and seize property. Most creditors don’t realize there’s a faster path than the U.S. Marshal’s Office. We know it.
Why Creditors Across the Five Boroughs Call Us First
Appointed by NYC’s Mayor
Edward F. Guida Jr. holds a formal mayoral appointment — a government credential no collection agency or law firm can replicate.
Serving NYC Since 1988
Two generations of NYC marshal experience. Our staff worked under Edward Sr. for years before the 2016 transition — that continuity matters when you’re enforcing judgments across the five boroughs.
All Five Boroughs Covered
One office, one call. We enforce judgments in Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island without jurisdictional gaps or delays.
DOI-Regulated and Bonded
We operate under NYC Department of Investigation oversight and carry a $100,000 public officer’s bond — accountability that’s built into how we work.
NYC Marshal Federal Judgment Enforcement
There’s a Faster Way to Collect Your Federal Judgment in New York
Most creditors who win in the Southern or Eastern District of New York assume their only enforcement option is the U.S. Marshal’s Office. It isn’t.
Legal authorities confirm that enforcing through a NYC Marshal is often faster and more cost-effective for routine money judgment collection across the five boroughs. The key is a procedural step most creditors don’t know about.
Under CPLR § 5018(b), a federal judgment can be transcripted and filed with the appropriate county clerk — at which point it becomes enforceable as a New York State judgment. From there, we can levy bank accounts, execute wage garnishments, and seize property across Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island.
Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 69(a)(1) requires that federal judgment enforcement in New York follow New York state law — which is exactly the framework we operate under every day.
Collect Federal Judgment in NYC
What You Actually Get When You Work With Us
From the moment your judgment is transcripted, we move — with the legal authority to reach the debtor’s assets before they disappear.
- Your bank levy can begin as soon as the restraining notice is properly served — freezing the debtor’s account immediately.
- Wage garnishment puts a court-enforced deduction in place at the debtor’s employer, creating a steady collection stream.
- Your transcripted judgment becomes a lien on the debtor’s real property in New York — something a federal judgment alone cannot do.
- A properly filed New York State judgment stays active for 20 years, giving you time and leverage even if the debtor is asset-poor today.
- Interest accrues on your judgment at the legal rate — every month you wait is money left uncollected while the debtor’s situation may change.
- You deal with one office that covers all five boroughs — no need to track down different marshals depending on whether the debtor’s assets are in Queens, the Bronx, or anywhere else.
SDNY and EDNY Judgment Collection
Which Federal Court Covers Your Debtor’s Borough?
If your judgment came out of the Southern District of New York — with its courthouse at 500 Pearl Street in lower Manhattan — it covers debtors in Manhattan and the Bronx. The Eastern District of New York, based at the Theodore Roosevelt Courthouse in Downtown Brooklyn at 225 Cadman Plaza East, covers Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island.
Both districts produce a constant volume of commercial judgments — contract disputes, trade debts, employment claims, lease defaults — and in nearly every case, the debtor’s wages, bank accounts, and business assets are physically located within the five boroughs. That’s exactly where our authority reaches.
Whether your debtor runs a business in Flushing, owns property in Staten Island, draws a paycheck in the Bronx, or operates out of a storefront in Brooklyn, the enforcement tools available under CPLR Article 52 can reach them — once the transcription step is complete.
Marshal vs U.S. Marshal Federal Enforcement
NYC Marshal vs. U.S. Marshal: Know the Difference
The U.S. Marshal’s Office handles federal criminal matters and some civil enforcement actions, but for collecting a money judgment against a debtor in the five boroughs, the process through that office is slower and less direct than most creditors expect.
Once your federal judgment is transcripted under CPLR § 5018(b), it functions as a New York State judgment — and a NYC Marshal becomes the most efficient enforcement officer available. We know the county clerks in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island. We understand the borough-specific filing requirements. We’ve been executing levies and garnishments in this city since 1988.
A collection agency sending demand letters is not the same thing. Only a court-appointed enforcement officer has the legal authority to physically seize property, serve a restraining notice that immediately freezes a bank account, or execute an income execution directly with a debtor’s employer. That’s what we do.
How to Enforce a Federal Judgment NYC
From Federal Judgment to Collected Money: The Process
Transcript Your Federal Judgment
Under CPLR § 5018(b), your federal judgment is filed with the appropriate NYC county clerk, converting it into an enforceable New York State judgment.
Identify and Target Assets
We execute against the debtor’s known assets — bank accounts, wages, and personal property — using income execution, property execution, or a restraining notice.
Collect and Remit to You
Once assets are reached, collected funds are remitted to you as the judgment creditor — with full documentation throughout the process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a NYC Marshal actually enforce a federal court judgment in New York?
Yes — but there’s one step first. A federal judgment from SDNY or EDNY doesn’t automatically give a NYC Marshal the authority to act. Under CPLR § 5018(b), the judgment needs to be transcripted and filed with the appropriate New York county clerk. Once that’s done, it becomes enforceable as a New York State judgment, and we can execute wage garnishments, bank levies, and property seizures across all five boroughs. Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 69(a)(1) actually requires that federal judgment enforcement in New York follow New York state law — which is the same framework we operate under for every other enforcement action we take.
What’s the difference between a NYC Marshal and the U.S. Marshal for collecting a judgment?
The U.S. Marshal’s Office is primarily focused on federal criminal enforcement and certain federal civil matters. For collecting a money judgment against a debtor in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, or Staten Island, the U.S. Marshal’s Office is generally slower and less suited to routine civil collection than a NYC Marshal. Once a federal judgment is transcripted into a New York State judgment under CPLR § 5018(b), we have the direct authority to levy bank accounts, garnish wages, and seize property across the five boroughs — often more quickly and at lower cost than going through federal enforcement channels.
Does my federal judgment automatically create a lien on the debtor’s property in New York?
No, and this is a mistake many creditors make. A federal judgment standing on its own does not create a lien on real property in New York. To create that lien, the judgment must be transcripted under CPLR § 5018(b) and filed with the county clerk in the county where the debtor’s property is located. Once that filing is made, the judgment becomes a lien on any real property the debtor owns in that county. This is one of the most important reasons to move quickly on transcription — particularly if the debtor owns property in Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, or Manhattan.
What if I don’t know where the debtor’s assets are located in NYC?
Our role is to execute on assets that have already been identified — we’re not investigators and we can’t subpoena records or depose a debtor. If you’re not sure where the debtor banks, works, or holds property, that’s a step that typically happens before you engage us. Your attorney can run an information subpoena or conduct post-judgment discovery to locate assets. Once you have that information — whether it’s a bank in Queens, an employer in the Bronx, or a business account in Brooklyn — we can move on it. Coming in with that groundwork done makes the enforcement process significantly faster.
How long does a federal judgment last once it’s converted to a New York State judgment?
Once transcripted under CPLR § 5018(b), the judgment has a 20-year lifespan as a New York State judgment. A lien on real property is good for 10 years and can be renewed. This is meaningful because a debtor who appears to have no collectible assets today may have wages, bank accounts, or real property tomorrow. The judgment stays in place — and continues to accrue interest at the legal rate — until it’s satisfied. That’s a long runway. It also means that even if initial enforcement efforts don’t yield a full recovery, the judgment isn’t going away.
Do I need an attorney to use a NYC Marshal for federal judgment enforcement?
Not necessarily for the enforcement phase itself — but the transcription step under CPLR § 5018(b) may require legal assistance, particularly if the original judgment was entered in a federal district outside New York and needs to be registered here first. If your judgment already came out of SDNY or EDNY, the pathway to transcription is more straightforward. Once the judgment is properly filed with the county clerk and we receive the execution, we handle the enforcement. Many creditors work with an attorney for the conversion step and then engage us directly for everything after. We’re happy to coordinate with your counsel if that’s how you’d like to proceed.
Call us at (718) 779-2134 or email us at gu*****@**********14.com to see how we can help you.