Business ProfileforNuVie Skin Care

The following describes a government action that has been resolved by either a settlement or a decision by a court or administrative agency. If the matter is being appealed, it will be noted below.

Federal Trade Commission v. Apex Capital Group, LLC et al
The following describes a government action that has been resolved by either a settlement or a decision by a court or administrative agency. If the matter is being appealed, it will be noted below.

On January 15, 2020, in the United States District Court Central District of California, the Federal Trade Commission ("plaintiff") and Apex Capital Group, LLC et al. ("Defendants") entered into a Stipulated Order for Permanent Injunction and Monetary Judgement.

The Order prohibits Defendants from the conduct alleged in the complaint, including credit card laundering. It also bans them from payment processing, or assisting others in payment processing, for certain categories of merchants and requires enhanced screening and monitoring procedures for the company's "high-risk" clients. Finally, it imposed a $3.5 million judgment which the FTC may use to provide refunds to consumers defrauded by the Apex Capital "free trial" scheme. Settling Defendants neither admit nor deny any of the allegations in the Complaint, except as specifically stated in this Order.

According to the FTC's 2018 complaint, Apex Capital Group, LLC, its principals, and related entities marketed supposed "free trial" offers for personal care products and dietary supplements online, but instead billed consumers the full price of the products and enrolled them in negative option continuity plans without their consent.

To further the scheme, the Apex Capital defendants allegedly used dozens of shell companies and straw owners in the United States and the United Kingdom to obtain and maintain the merchant accounts needed to accept consumers' credit and debit card payments, an illegal practice known as "credit card laundering."

In May 2019, the FTC filed an amended complaint adding the Latvian financial institution SIA Transact Pro (Transact Pro) and its former CEO, Mark Moskvins, to the case. According to the amended complaint, the Transact Pro defendants illegally maintained merchant accounts for the Apex scheme in the name of shell companies and enabled the Apex Capital defendants' efforts to evade credit card chargeback monitoring programs.

In September 2019, the Apex Capital defendants settled the FTC's complaint, agreeing to cease the allegedly illegal conduct and surrender assets valued at between $3 million and $6 million.

For more information or to file a complaint related to this case, please contact Federal Trade Commission at 877-382-4357 or www.ftc.gov.