DSA President’s Statement on BurnLounge

 

Joseph N. Mariano, President, Direct Selling Association, in Reaction to the Federal Trade Commission’s BurnLounge Announcement has made the following statement.

 “We applaud the Federal Trade Commission for compensating the victims of BurnLounge earlier this week. One year ago, BurnLouge was found to be a pyramid scheme by a United States appellate court, because participants in the company’s so-called business opportunity were compensated for recruiting additional participants, as opposed to selling products, a lawful practice, which includes purchasing products for personal use.

“Pyramid schemes like BurnLounge have no place in our marketplace, are expressly banned by Direct Selling Association’s Code of Ethics and should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

The Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) announced that it will begin mailing out over 50,000 checks that will total approximately $1.9 million as redress for consumers victimized by a Ponzi scheme operated by BurnLounge, Inc.