A man was banned from telemarketing for life after a federal court in California found him guilty of running two fraudulent businesses. Stevan P. Todorovic also must pay $115,000 and turn over his Porsche convertible to settle the Federal Trade Commission's charges against him.
Mr. Todorovic, whose companies operated under the names American Bartending Institute Inc. and Intuitive Logic Inc., is accused of leading consumers to think that they would receive information about job openings for bartenders and mystery shoppers after paying $58.90 to $98.90 to be certified at home by his companies. However, those listings sent to consumers after payment were general lists of potential employers that were freely available elsewhere, according to FTC.
The commission's request for a preliminary injunction, including the telemarketing ban, was granted Nov. 18 in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The FTC filed the stipulated final order for permanent injunction in the same court April 14.
Aside from the telemarketing ban and fine, the order includes a $6,192,612 suspended judgment. It also prohibits Mr. Todorovic and his companies from misrepresenting any material fact about any product they may sell or engage in deceptive practices.
