A federal court has jailed the marketer of a deceptive envelope-stuffing scheme for ignoring a court order that required him to stop his illegal practices.
The defendant targeted Spanish-speaking consumers throughout the United States and Puerto Rico, deceiving them to think they could earn substantial income working at home stuffing envelopes in exchange for a $37 fee. The only thing consumers received was a pamphlet telling them to place their own misleading ads to sell the same pamphlet to other consumers. The defendant kept up the scam despite a December 2008 court order that barred him from deceiving consumers and required him to close the post office boxes he used for taking orders.
The defendant is Zoilo Cruz, also known as Zoilo Cruz Carrion, and is doing business as International Marketing and Universal Wealth. The U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico found Cruz in contempt of the order and ordered him incarcerated until he complies with the court’s 2008 order.
The FTC brought this case with the assistance of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
The Federal Trade Commission works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and
unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To
file a complaint in English or Spanish, visit the FTC’s online Complaint Assistant or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). The FTC enters complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 1,700 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. The FTC’s Web site provides free information on a variety of consumer topics.
(International Marketing)
(FTC File No. X080066)