Markets Wired

The Commission has approved an amended complaint in the matter currently pending against Grant Writers Institute, LLC and its related entities. The FTC’s original complaint, announced in October 2009, charged the defendants with falsely telling consumers that they were eligible for grants as part of the government’s recently announced economic stimulus package. The FTC filed the complaint jointly with the Attorneys General of Kansas, Minnesota, and North Carolina. The amended complaint adds Illinois as a fourth state co-plaintiff and also adds five new defendants – Justin Ely and his companies Wealth Power Systems, LLC; Aria Financial Services LLC; and Direct Marketing Systems, Inc., and Maggie Chapman, who owns a sole proprietorship.

The Commission vote approving the amended complaint was 4-0. A copy of the complaint can be found on the FTC’s Web site and as a link to this press release. (FTC File No. X090073; the staff contact is Carmen Christopher, Bureau of Consumer Protection, 202-326-3643; see press release dated October 6, 2009, at http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/07/gwi.shtm.)

Copies of the documents mentioned in this release are available from the FTC’s Web site at http://www.ftc.gov and from the FTC’s Consumer Response Center, Room 130, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20580. Call toll-free: 1-877-FTC-HELP.

(FYI 54.2009.wpd)