Turn Your Judgment Into Money You Actually Collect
You won in court. The judge ruled in your favor. But the debtor hasn’t paid a dime — and the court isn’t going to chase them down for you. An information subpoena, served by a court-appointed NYC Marshal, is how you find out where their money actually is.
Why Creditors Across NYC Call Us First
Mayor-Appointed Marshal Authority
As NYC Marshal #14, we hold legal enforcement authority that process servers and collection agencies simply do not have.
Serving NYC Since 1988
Edward F. Guida Sr. founded this office in 1988. Edward Jr. has carried it forward — same staff, same standards, deeper experience.
All Five Boroughs Covered
One office handles information subpoenas across the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island — no referrals, no hand-offs.
Subpoena to Collection, In-House
We serve the subpoena and execute on what it uncovers. No separate enforcement officer needed — the whole process stays with us.
Information Subpoenas in New York
What an Information Subpoena Actually Does for You
An information subpoena is a legal document — governed by CPLR Rule 5224 — that compels a debtor, or any third party who may know about the debtor’s finances, to answer questions about their assets under oath. That includes bank accounts, employment, property, and business interests. It’s one of the most direct tools available to a judgment creditor in New York.
What makes it powerful isn’t just the document — it’s who serves it. A court-appointed marshal can serve an information subpoena and then immediately follow up with a property execution or income execution on whatever the response reveals. That’s the enforcement chain that actually gets money collected. A process server can deliver the paperwork. Only a marshal or sheriff can act on it.
Judgment Enforcement Benefits NYC Creditors
What Changes When You Use This Process
Most judgment creditors walk away empty-handed — not because the law failed them, but because they didn’t know what step to take next.
- You find out exactly where the debtor banks, works, or holds assets — under oath, with legal consequences for lying.
- The subpoena can be served on the debtor’s bank directly, not just the debtor — often producing faster, more reliable results.
- If the debtor ignores the subpoena within 7 days, we can pursue contempt proceedings — a serious legal escalation that gets attention.
- Once assets are identified, we can move immediately to a property or income execution without involving a separate office or officer.
- Your judgment continues to accrue interest while it sits unpaid — acting sooner protects more of what you’re owed.
- Marshal fees are regulated by the NYC Department of Investigation — no surprise charges, and in many cases recoverable from the debtor upon collection.
NYC Marshal vs. Process Server
Delivery Is Not the Same as Enforcement
There’s a real difference between having someone serve an information subpoena and having a marshal do it — and it matters more than most creditors realize.
A licensed process server can put the document in the debtor’s hands. That’s the end of their role. If the debtor’s bank account is revealed, the process server has no authority to freeze it, levy it, or do anything further. You’d need to bring in a marshal or sheriff separately — adding time, cost, and coordination at exactly the moment when speed matters most.
When our office serves the information subpoena, we’re already positioned to act on the response. If a bank account is disclosed, we can move to a bank levy. If employment is revealed, we can initiate an income execution. The process doesn’t pause while you find someone else to handle the next step. That continuity is what separates enforcement from paperwork.
Serve Debtor and Third Parties
You Can Go Straight to the Source
One of the most underused aspects of information subpoenas is that they don’t have to go to the debtor at all — at least not only to the debtor. Under CPLR 5224, the subpoena can be served on any person or entity believed to have information about the debtor’s assets. That includes their bank, their employer, their landlord, or a business partner.
In New York City, where major banks — Chase, Citibank, TD Bank, Capital One — have branches throughout the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island, this is a significant advantage. Serving a financial institution directly often produces more complete and accurate information than asking the debtor themselves, who has every incentive to minimize what they disclose.
Our office knows which third parties to target, how to serve them correctly under New York law, and what to do with the information once it comes back. That’s not something you learn from reading a court form.
How We Serve Information Subpoenas
A Clear Process From Judgment to Collection
Contact Our Office
You reach out with your judgment details — we review the case and identify the right approach for your specific debtor and situation.
Subpoena Prepared and Served
We prepare the information subpoena in compliance with CPLR Rule 5224, including the required creditor certification, and serve it properly — on the debtor, their bank, employer, or other relevant third parties.
Assets Found, Enforcement Begins
Once responses come in, we move directly to enforcement — property execution, income execution, or bank levy — without delay or hand-off to another office.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly is an information subpoena and how does it work in New York?
An information subpoena is a legal document authorized under CPLR Rule 5224 that requires a debtor — or a third party with knowledge of the debtor’s finances — to answer written questions about their assets under oath. In New York, the subpoena must include a signed certification from the judgment creditor or their attorney stating a reasonable belief that the recipient has relevant information. It’s served by registered or certified mail with a prepaid return envelope, and the recipient has 7 days to respond. The answers are given under oath, which means providing false information constitutes perjury. This is one of the most direct post-judgment discovery tools available in New York courts, and it’s particularly effective when combined with immediate enforcement action by a marshal’s office.
What happens if the debtor ignores the information subpoena and doesn’t respond?
If a debtor — or any party served with an information subpoena — fails to respond within 7 days, the judgment creditor has the right to commence contempt proceedings in the court that issued the judgment. Contempt of court is not a debt issue; it’s a failure to comply with a court order, and the consequences can include fines and, in some cases, jail time. This is a meaningful escalation that debtors and their attorneys take seriously. Our office understands how to use this pathway effectively. The contempt option is one of the reasons information subpoenas carry real weight — ignoring them has consequences that go beyond the underlying debt.
Can an information subpoena be served on a bank or employer instead of the debtor directly?
Yes — and this is often the smarter move. Under CPLR 5224, information subpoenas can be served on any person or entity believed to have information about the debtor’s assets. That includes banks, employers, landlords, telephone companies, and business partners. In the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island, most debtors bank at institutions with a strong local presence — and those institutions are legally required to respond. Serving a bank directly often yields more complete and accurate information than relying on the debtor’s own disclosure. Our office has experience identifying which third parties are worth targeting and how to serve them in a way that holds up legally.
I won in small claims court in Queens. Can your office help me collect?
Yes. Small claims court judgments are among the most common cases we handle. Winning in small claims court in Queens — or in Brooklyn, Manhattan, the Bronx, or Staten Island — gives you a legally enforceable money judgment, but the court won’t collect it for you. That’s where we come in. As a court-appointed NYC Marshal, our office is authorized to enforce civil court judgments across all five boroughs. We can serve an information subpoena to identify the debtor’s assets, then follow up with the appropriate execution — whether that’s a bank levy, wage garnishment, or property execution. The process is the same whether your judgment is for $500 or $50,000.
Is there a difference between an NYC Marshal and the NYC Sheriff for information subpoena purposes?
Both marshals and sheriffs have the legal authority to serve information subpoenas and enforce judgments in New York City. The practical difference is in how they operate. The NYC Sheriff’s Office is a city agency with separate offices in each borough. NYC Marshals are independent public officers appointed by the Mayor, and our office operates city-wide from a single location, providing unified service across the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island without borough-by-borough coordination. Because marshals are compensated through regulated fees on successful enforcement actions, our incentives are directly aligned with yours — we earn when you collect.
How long do I have to collect on a judgment in New York, and does waiting hurt my chances?
In New York, a money judgment is enforceable for 20 years from the date it was entered. That’s a long window — but waiting has real costs. Debtors who know a judgment has been entered against them often take steps to move assets, change employers, or close bank accounts. The longer you wait, the harder it becomes to find something worth executing against. Your judgment also accrues interest while it sits unpaid, which means the amount owed grows over time — but that’s only valuable if you eventually collect. Creditors who move quickly and use the right enforcement tools from the start are far more likely to see results.
Call us at (718) 779-2134 or email us at gu*****@**********14.com to see how we can help you.