Home The Guru Files

The Guru Files.

A live ledger of the operators and programs we have already pulled apart. Each dossier is built from primary sources only — FTC, SEC, DOJ, court records — with the public record up front and the editorial verdict after it.

Files on the wall 12

Concluded cases 9

Active files 3

Authorities cited FTC · SEC · DOJ

Earliest matter 2014 — TelexFree receivership

Most recent matter 2025 — FBA Machine stipulated order

A close study of accumulated residue: dust on the surface of a closed case file. — PLATE 04 What accumulates after the room has been sealed.

01 CONCLUDED CASES

Nine files — criminal convictions, civil settlements, court orders.

A live, growing file. Each dossier is built from primary sources only — FTC, SEC, DOJ, court records. The status line matches the cited authority's own language; we do not upgrade it.

FILE NO. 002 CRIMINAL CONVICTION

TelexFree — James Merrill / Joseph Wilkinson

A VoIP telecom the DOJ called a global pyramid scheme. Former president pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six years in federal prison; SEC civil judgments against multiple principals and promoters.

FILE NO. 003 CIVIL SETTLEMENT

Vemma Nutrition Company — Benson K. Boreyko / Tom Alkazin

A liquid-nutrition MLM settled with the FTC in December 2016. $238 million judgment (partially suspended); permanent ban on paying recruitment-based compensation.

FILE NO. 004 CIVIL SETTLEMENT

MOBE Affiliates — Giannulis / Williams / Chow / Zuckman / Bransfield

Top affiliate promoters for the MOBE online-business scheme. Affiliate settlements announced March 2020; multiple judgments and permanent bans on selling business coaching.

FILE NO. 005 CIVIL DEFAULT JUDGMENT

Digital Altitude — Michael Force / Mary Dee

A tiered online business-education scheme shut down by court order in 2018. Default judgment entered March 2019 ($54 million); individual principals settled by stipulated order.

FILE NO. 006 CIVIL SETTLEMENT

FBA Machine / Passive Scaling — Bratislav Rozenfeld

A turnkey Amazon-storefront business opportunity pitched on “AI-powered software.” Stipulated final order July 30, 2025 — the most recent FTC action in this ledger.

FILE NO. 007 PENDING LITIGATION

Automators AI / Empire Ecommerce / Onyx Distribution — Cresto / Cresto / Chapman

An e-commerce coaching operation sued by the FTC in August 2023. TRO with asset freeze entered the same day; matter continues through the courts. Watch this file for case posture updates.

FILE NO. 008 CRIMINAL GUILTY PLEA + PENDING TRIAL

BitConnect — Satish Kumbhani / Glenn Arcaro

A crypto “lending program” that promised ~1% daily returns. Glenn Arcaro pleaded guilty (Sept. 1, 2021); founder Satish Kumbhani indicted (Feb. 25, 2022) ; case before the court.

FILE NO. 009 CIVIL SETTLEMENT

Online Trading Academy — Eyal Shachar

A multi-day investment-training program sold for up to ~$50,000 per enrollment. Settled by FTC stipulated order on Sept. 15, 2020; $362 million judgment, partially suspended.

FILE NO. 010 CIVIL SETTLEMENT

AdvoCare International — Brian Connolly / Carlton & Lisa Hardman

A health-and-wellness MLM the FTC sued over pyramid-scheme allegations. $150 million settlement announced Oct. 2, 2019; AdvoCare permanently banned from operating any MLM.

FILES 002–010 · CONCLUDED

The division between the two classes.

The files above are concluded cases: criminal convictions, civil settlements, court orders, default judgments. The status line on each card is a public-agency or court finding — we cite the agency and the matter number, and we do not upgrade or soften the language.

The files below are active files. They are studies of claims set against the public record. Each one cites, in the subject’s own words and with a primary URL, what they are selling — and then sets that claim next to what the public filings and reporting actually show. None of these subjects has been convicted of fraud. Some have been sued, some have been publicly criticised, some have settled or testified under immunity. The file states exactly what the record does and does not show. The reader draws the conclusion.

02 ACTIVE FILES

Seven files — claim versus record.

Living subjects, no convictions. Each file pairs the marketing claim with the public record. The status line matches what is on the record — nothing more.

FILE NO. 012 PARTY TO CIVIL LITIGATION

Grant Cardone

A securities class action revived by the Ninth Circuit against Cardone Capital over projected returns. He has filed two nine-figure defamation suits. The “SEC settlement” story is wrong — there is none.

FILE NO. 014 PRE-GURU FEDERAL-IMMUNITY WITNESS

Andy Elliott

A sales trainer at the Big Red Dealerships during the federal wire-fraud period (2014–2019). Granted immunity / non-prosecution accord by the U.S. Attorney (W.D. Okla.); co-defendants convicted. Not personally charged or convicted.

FILE NO. 017 PRESS-REPORTED ALLEGATIONS — UNVERIFIED ON PRIMARY RECORD

Tai Lopez

The “67 Steps” YouTube personality, subject of a New York Magazine feature headlined “How Ponzi Scheme Charges Crashed Tai Lopez’s YouTube Empire” (Oct 6, 2025). No SEC or DOJ filing verified in this run.

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FILES 012, 014, 017 · ACTIVE · ADDED ON INVESTIGATION