Penalty Amount
$16,500,000
The FTC charged the founders of Celsius Network with deceiving consumers by falsely promising that cryptocurrency deposits were safe and always available. The founders agreed to pay $16.5 million and are banned from marketing or selling products that can be used to deposit or withdraw assets, among other restrictions.
Mashinsky must pay $10 million, Leon $4.1 million, and Goldstein $2.4 million. All three are banned from marketing or selling certain asset-related products and from making misrepresentations about any product or service. They are also prohibited from violating the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act. Mashinsky and Leon are additionally barred from disclosing nonpublic personal information without express informed consent.
In-house legal teams should review vendor and customer agreements involving financial data handling to ensure compliance with the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, particularly clauses addressing the disclosure of nonpublic personal information and the requirement for express informed consent before sharing. They should also audit marketing and advertising contracts for representations about product safety and availability, ensuring they are accurate and not misleading. Additionally, contracts with service providers that handle deposits or withdrawals should include robust data security and accuracy representations, and indemnification provisions for deceptive practices.
Entity
Alexander Mashinsky, Shlomi Daniel Leon, and Hanoch Goldstein
Industry
Financial ServicesOfficial Press Release
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/07/founders-celsius-network-ordered-pay-165-million-resolve-ftc-charges
2223137celsiusnetworkcomplaint
https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/2223137celsiusnetworkcomplaint.pdf
CelsiusNetworkLLC StipulatedOrder
https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/CelsiusNetworkLLC-StipulatedOrder.pdf
StipulatedOrder(Leon)
https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/StipulatedOrder%28Leon%29.pdf
Celsius Order
https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/Celsius-Order.pdf
Federal Trade Commission Enforcement Page
https://www.ftc.gov/enforcement
"Alexander Mashinsky, the former CEO of cryptocurrency platform Celsius Network Inc. (Celsius), and his business partners, Shlomi Daniel Leon and Hanoch “Nuke” Goldstein"
"will pay a total of $16.5 million"
"The settlement orders with the FTC require Mashinsky to pay $10 million, Leon to pay $4.1 million and Goldstein to pay $2.4 million."
"Violating the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act"
"the FTC alleged that Celsius and its co-founders promised consumers that Celsius was “safer” than a bank or other traditional financial institutions and misrepresented that their deposits were safe"
"Proposed orders also ban defendants from marketing or selling products or services that can be used to deposit or withdraw assets"
The FTC, Utah, and Nevada sued Lens.com Inc., alleging that it advertised artificially low contact lens prices while hiding mandatory checkout charges and misleading consumers about its AutoRefill subscription. The complaint seeks to stop the alleged practices; the court has not yet decided the case, and no penalty or remedy has been imposed.
The FTC issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking seeking public comment on whether ad-optimization tools offered by online platforms may help scammers impersonate businesses and government agencies. This is a proposed regulatory inquiry, not an enforcement action against a named company; no penalty or remedy was imposed.
$2.5B
A federal court approved a revised order in the FTC's Amazon Prime case under which Amazon will accelerate and expand redress payments under the September 2025 $2.5 billion settlement, which resolved allegations that Amazon enrolled millions of consumers in Prime subscriptions without their consent and knowingly made cancellation difficult. More consumers now qualify for refunds, the maximum payment cap rises from $51 to $200, and all future payments will be distributed automatically starting October 1, 2026, with potential supplemental $149 payments by April 2027. Amazon has already issued more than $845 million in redress payments as of September 2026.
$225.0M
The FTC and the state of Washington filed a joint complaint and proposed stipulated order requiring Amway Corp. and two affiliates—World Wide Group, L.L.C. (WWG) and Leadership Team Development Inc. (LTD)—to pay a $225 million judgment, the largest monetary recovery ever obtained from an MLM in an FTC action, over allegations that they used deceptive earnings claims and unfair tactics to recruit Independent Business Owners. The complaint alleges the companies falsely promised substantial income and recruitment success, pressured IBOs to buy products they could not resell, and instructed IBOs to falsely report sales. Nearly all of the judgment will be used as redress for IBOs who lost money, and the proposed order imposes structural reforms including a 70% resale requirement, independent audits of sales records, and a ban on approved providers charging new IBOs for first-year training.
$100.0M
FleetCor Technologies Inc. (now Corpay Inc.) and its CEO Ronald Clarke agreed to pay $100 million to settle an FTC administrative action alleging the company charged small business customers hidden and unauthorized fees for fuel cards and misrepresented gas savings, fraud-control features, and fees. A federal district court granted the FTC summary judgment on all counts in 2023, and a federal appeals court upheld that judgment and the permanent injunction in 2026. The settlement funds will be used to provide redress to harmed business customers.
FTC staff published FAQs on price transparency to help the automobile industry comply with the FTC Act, reiterating that an advertised vehicle price must be the actual price any consumer can pay, excluding only government-required charges. The guidance follows warning letters the FTC sent to 97 auto dealership groups earlier in 2026 and signals continued litigation against dealers that advertise one price but charge more through undisclosed fees. No specific entity was charged and no penalty was imposed.