Amazon AI scammers blew millions on Lake Como wedding and cars, FTC alleges

John and Roman Cresto made millions of dollars selling themselves arsenic e-commerce "experts" who could thatch regular consumers and investors the concealed to selling occurrence connected Amazon and Walmart, for a price.

They splashed lavish vacations and high-end cars crossed their societal media account, creating a multi-million dollar representation of occurrence that national regulators now say was fueled by falsehoods and deception. 

The lawsuit is the latest illustration of the FTC cracking down connected deceptive e-commerce consultancies that people consumers and fledgling online businesses. A robust manufacture of consultants and agencies, often referred to arsenic "coaches" oregon "gurus," person emerged arsenic retailers progressively determination online and marketplaces connected sites similar Amazon and Walmart flourish. These coaches often assertion to person struck it affluent successful e-commerce, and volition walk on their expertise to users who wage for costly courses with nary warrant of success. 

The Federal Trade Commission connected Tuesday asked a justice to barroom the Cresto brothers from doing concern temporarily, successful transportation with a suit the bureau filed earlier this month successful U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. 

The Cresto brothers "promised to expertly negociate the operations of automated online stores" connected some Amazon and Walmart, doing everything from uncovering products to fulfilling orders, the ailment says. They charged consumers anyplace from $10,000 to $125,000 for the archetypal investment, and $15,000 to $80,000 successful further backing arsenic moving capital, the FTC alleged.

The Cresto brothers besides took 35% of immoderate profits from their "partners''" e-commerce stores, the ailment says. By June 2022, little than 10% of Empire-managed stores generated sales, the FTC alleged. By Oct. 2022, Amazon had either suspended oregon terminated astir of those stores for violating its policies astir intelligence spot and a concern method called dropshipping, wherever companies ne'er really person the inventory they're selling, and alternatively bid products done a shaper aft a shopper makes a purchase, the ailment says. The bulk of Empire's storefronts connected Walmart's marketplace were either ne'er activated, oregon terminated for argumentation violations, according to the FTC. 

Despite the suspensions, Empire for years continued to falsely beforehand the occurrence of its Amazon businesses by recruiting affiliate marketers to station splashy videos online claiming they made "significant passive income" done Empire's automation services. Empire was capable to lure much than 60 caller clients done this affiliate selling strategy and netted implicit $1.5 cardinal successful committee fees, the FTC alleged. 

"In truth, astir of Empire's clients mislaid wealth and virtually nary made the advertised amounts," the bureau wrote successful its complaint.

The suspensions near Empire's clients profoundly successful debt, the FTC alleged, "because Empire typically had its clients wage for inventory connected recognition cards." Empire refused to refund victims tens of thousands of dollars that victims had paid retired to Empire oregon for goods sold, the FTC alleged.

The 2 brothers made much than $22 cardinal from their clients, the FTC alleged.

The millions that the Crestos diverted for themselves were spent connected high-end cars, vacations, and adjacent a luxury wedding successful Italy, according to the FTC ailment and societal media posts.

At the opening of this year, aft selling Empire, the Crestos spun up a caller concern called Automators AI, which claims to thatch consumers however to usage artificial quality to go online sellers making "over $10,000 per period successful sales," and usage fashionable AI chatbot ChatGPT to make lawsuit work scripts, the FTC alleges. The strategy is ongoing, and defrauding consumers of tens of thousands of dollars each, according to the FTC.

Amazon and Walmart did not instantly instrumentality requests for comment.

As the timepiece ran down connected Empire's allegedly fraudulent behavior, the Cresto brothers attempted to pawn disconnected their businesses to different operator, Daniel Cohen. 

Cohen is present suing the Crestos, alleging that they deceived him astir the existent authorities of the concern and utilized him to deflect blasted from themselves.

In October 2022 — the aforesaid period that the FTC alleged astir of Empire's moving Amazon stores had been suspended — the Cresto brothers approached Cohen, a Florida businessman, astir buying their empire. Roman Cresto showed projections that suggested his concern was beardown and highly profitable.

Cohen told CNBC successful an interrogation that the Crestos archetypal messaged him via Instagram and that they met implicit Zoom aboriginal that month. John Cresto assured Cohen successful that Zoom gathering that Empire was not facing immoderate litigation oregon large concerns, beyond a "couple" unhappy clients.

"It was thing I asked them, due to the fact that I bash cognize this industry," Cohen told CNBC. The Crestos besides offered him projections that claimed Empire collected up to 50% of the nett from the thousands of the stores they supposedly operated.

"I'm not definite wherever they got their projections from," Cohen told CNBC. "Maybe astatine immoderate constituent they did person a store that performed well, and possibly they conscionable utilized that effect for everybody, but I judge astir of it was apt made up."

Cohen agreed to bargain the Crestos' concern connected November 7, wiring them $100,000 the pursuing day. Two days later, the Crestos revealed 5 ongoing "legal disputes" being handled by their defence firm, Stubbs Alderton and Markiles. 

"I paid Roman 490k full for 6 stores . . . betwixt LLC set-ups/fees, recognition paper feeding, virtual store fees, their bundle connected respective that they told maine would propulsion my stores to the top, etc, etc, they scammed maine for good implicit $525k total," 1 email from a lawsuit read, according to Cohen's lawsuit.

Dozens much complaints were languishing successful an inbox, detailing alleged negligence oregon "shady" dealings by the Cresto brothers.

"I paid you guys $65k for a experienced store. Since starting my store has done nary wherever adjacent the projections. Now my store has stopped having immoderate income astatine all. I request to cognize wherefore this is and what happened. I americium starting to consciousness similar I was scammed and I request to get my lawyer involved," work different email cited successful Cohen's lawsuit.

Cohen besides told CNBC that Stubbs Alderton agreed to service arsenic his instrumentality firm, earlier firing him arsenic a lawsuit and telling Cohen that they would present correspond the Cresto brothers.

"From a motivation perspective. It conscionable doesn't odor right," Cohen's contiguous attorney, Nima Tahmassebi, told CNBC.

Attorneys astatine Stubbs Alderton did not respond to CNBC's inquiries astir their handling of the cases. The Cresto brothers did not instrumentality CNBC's petition for comment.

WATCH: Amazon cracks down connected stolen goods