You Won in Court. Now Let’s Get You Paid.
A judgment without collection is just paper. We help small claims winners across the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island locate debtor assets and actually enforce what the court already decided in your favor.
Why Creditors Choose Our Office
Appointed by the Mayor
NYC Marshal Edward Guida #14 holds a mayoral appointment — a legal designation that gives our office civil enforcement authority no private collector can match.
All Five Boroughs Covered
Whether the debtor lives in the Bronx or works in Manhattan, we’re authorized to pursue assets across every NYC borough without limitation.
Serving NYC Since 1988
Our office has enforced civil court judgments in New York City for over 35 years, spanning two generations of the Guida family.
Regulated by Two Government Bodies
We’re overseen by both the Mayor’s Committee on City Marshals and the NYC Department of Investigation — accountability no private agency can offer.
NYC Small Claims Asset Search
The Court Won’t Find the Money for You
Most people who win a small claims judgment don’t realize this until it’s too late: the court’s job ends when it hands you that judgment. Collecting is entirely on you. The NYC Civil Court’s own guidance states plainly that an enforcement officer will not search for a debtor’s assets without information from you first. That’s where most creditors get stuck.
We help you get unstuck. As a mayoral-appointed NYC Marshal operating out of Corona, Queens, our office works with judgment creditors across the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island to identify what the debtor has, where it is, and how to reach it — legally, efficiently, and without the cost of hiring an attorney.
Locate Debtor Assets NYC
What Changes When You Work With a Marshal
A letter from a collection agency gets ignored. A marshal’s execution is a court-backed legal action — and debtors know the difference.
- You stop waiting and start enforcing — with an office that has the legal authority to act, not just ask.
- Your judgment stays alive for up to 20 years in New York, so even if time has passed, it’s not too late to collect.
- You don’t need to know the debtor’s bank account number — our office uses current database technology to help build an asset profile from what you do know.
- Income execution lets us work directly with the debtor’s employer to withhold wages, without you ever having to confront the debtor yourself.
- Property execution gives us the authority to seize cash and personal property — including bank account funds — to satisfy what you’re owed.
- Our fee structure is performance-based — we earn a statutory percentage of what’s actually collected, which means our interests are aligned with yours from day one.
Marshal vs. Collection Agency NYC
A Collection Agency Can Ask. We Can Act.
There’s a fundamental difference between what a private collection agency can do and what a mayoral-appointed NYC Marshal can do. Collection agencies can send letters, make calls, and report to credit bureaus. That’s the ceiling of their authority. Our office, operating under the NYC Civil Court Act, can execute directly against a debtor’s wages, bank accounts, and personal property. When we serve an execution, it carries the weight of a court order — because it does.
This matters especially in a city like New York, where debtors often have complex financial lives. A debtor in Brooklyn might have income flowing through a business account in Queens. A debtor in the Bronx might have wages from a Manhattan employer. A private collector can’t touch any of that. We can — across all five boroughs, under one roof, with no referrals to another office.
Low Cost Asset Location Small Claims
Built for Small Claims, Not Big Legal Bills
For a $3,000 or $5,000 judgment, hiring an attorney to chase collection doesn’t always make economic sense. That’s the reality most creditors in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island face — and it’s exactly why working directly with a marshal is a smarter fit for small claims enforcement.
Our office handles income execution and property execution without requiring you to retain legal counsel. The statutory fee structure for NYC Marshals is set by state law, not by us — which means there are no surprise retainers or hourly bills. You bring us your judgment and the information you have about the debtor, and we take it from there. For creditors who just want their money back without turning a $5,000 dispute into a $10,000 legal engagement, this is the more direct path.
Marshal Asset Location Process NYC
From Paper Judgment to Real Collection
Bring Us Your Judgment
Share your court judgment and whatever you know about the debtor — employer, address, any financial details — and we assess what enforcement options apply.
We Build the Asset Picture
Using current database tools and legal information-gathering methods, we help identify attachable assets — wages, bank accounts, or personal property — across all five boroughs.
We Execute and Collect
Once assets are identified, we move forward with income execution, property execution, or both — pursuing what you’re owed with full legal authority behind every step.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if I don’t know where the debtor banks or works?
This is the most common concern we hear, and it’s not a dealbreaker. You don’t need to walk in with a complete financial profile of the debtor. What helps is whatever you do know — a home address, a place of business, a former employer, a vehicle. From there, our office uses current database technology and legal tools, including information subpoenas, to build out the picture. An information subpoena is a court-authorized document that compels the debtor — and in some cases, third parties like banks — to disclose financial information. We can help you understand what’s available and how to use it. The process starts with what you have, not with what you don’t.
Can you collect a small claims judgment anywhere in the five boroughs?
Yes — and this matters more than most creditors realize. Our office is authorized to enforce judgments across all five NYC boroughs: the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island. That means if your debtor lives in the Bronx but works in Manhattan, or banks somewhere in Queens, we can pursue assets wherever they are. Many creditors assume enforcement is limited to the borough where the judgment was issued — from the Bronx Civil Court at 851 Grand Concourse, or the Queens Civil Court at 89-17 Sutphin Boulevard in Jamaica, for example. It isn’t. A judgment is a judgment, and our authority follows the debtor, not the courthouse.
My judgment is several months old. Is it too late to enforce it?
Not even close. In New York, a small claims court judgment remains valid and enforceable for 20 years from the date it was issued. It also accrues interest over that period, which means the longer a debtor waits to pay, the more they ultimately owe. Whether your judgment is two months old or two years old, our office can pick it up and begin enforcement. The only thing that changes with time is how much the debtor owes — and that number only goes up. If you’ve been sitting on a judgment and assumed the window had closed, it almost certainly hasn’t.
What’s the difference between income execution and property execution?
These are the two main tools we use to collect on a small claims judgment, and they work in different situations. Income execution — sometimes called wage garnishment — means we work directly with the debtor’s employer to withhold a portion of their wages. By law, this is capped at 10% of gross pay or 25% of disposable income, whichever is less. Property execution means we can seize cash and personal property — including funds in a bank account — to satisfy the judgment. In some cases, we can pursue both simultaneously. Which approach makes more sense depends on what we know about the debtor’s financial situation, which is part of what we help you work through from the start.
How is a NYC Marshal different from the NYC Sheriff for small claims enforcement?
Both the NYC Sheriff and a NYC Marshal can enforce small claims judgments, but they operate very differently. The Sheriff’s office is a government agency — structured, multi-layered, and slower by most accounts. The NYC Sheriff charges a flat $35 fee for small claims enforcement attempts. NYC Marshals are independent public officers appointed by the Mayor, which means we operate with more autonomy and, generally, more urgency. We’re not processing your case through a government queue — we’re running an independent office with a direct interest in getting results. For creditors across Brooklyn, Queens, and the other boroughs who want enforcement that moves, most find that working with a marshal is the faster and more direct route.
Does the debtor having a business protect their personal assets from collection?
Not necessarily — and this is one of the most common misconceptions we see. Many creditors assume that because a debtor operates a business, their personal income and assets are untouchable. That’s often not the case. If the debtor has personal wages, personal bank accounts, or personal property, those can still be subject to income execution or property execution depending on the circumstances. Sophisticated debtors in New York — particularly in commercial-heavy areas like Manhattan and Brooklyn — sometimes try to route income through business accounts or transfer assets to minimize exposure. Our office is familiar with these patterns and knows how to pursue enforcement effectively within the law. The business structure is a factor, but it’s rarely the end of the road.
Call us at (718) 779-2134 or email us at guidajr@nycmarshal14.com to see how we can help you.