The FTC filed a complaint and obtained a temporary restraining order against six defendants operating a deceptive health care scheme that impersonated government and insurance carriers to sell fake comprehensive health plans. The defendants allegedly charged consumers without express informed consent, failed to disclose material terms including cancellation processes, and misled consumers into paying for inadequate coverage that left many with substantial medical debt. The FTC seeks refunds for affected consumers and alleges violations of the FTC Act, Telemarketing Sales Rule, Impersonation Rule, and Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act.
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida issued a temporary restraining order halting the defendants' deceptive operations. The FTC's complaint seeks refunds for consumers harmed by the scheme, and requests injunctive relief to permanently stop the unlawful practices.
In-house legal teams should review customer agreements, vendor contracts with telemarketing service providers, and insurance-related service agreements. Key clauses to audit include consent provisions to ensure express, informed consent for all charges (especially recurring payments), negative option and automatic renewal clauses requiring clear disclosure of cancellation steps, material terms disclosure sections, telemarketing compliance representations and warranties, and data protection clauses for health and financial consumer information. Agreements should also prohibit impersonation of government entities or third-party carriers, and include breach notification requirements for unauthorized use of consumer data.
Entity
Innovative Partners, LP; American Collective, LP; Papyrus Green Investments LLC; Health Plan Administrators, LLC; Amani Ibrahim Shokry; Ahmed Ibrihim Shokry
Industry
InsuranceOfficial Press Release
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/04/ftc-sues-stop-deceptive-health-care-scheme
2423043innovativepartnerstro
https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/2423043innovativepartnerstro.pdf
2423043innovativepartnerscomplaint
https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/2423043innovativepartnerscomplaint.pdf
Federal Trade Commission Enforcement Page
https://www.ftc.gov/enforcement
"April 22, 2026"
"The defendants include Innovative Partners, LP, which does business as Innovative Health Plan or Healthcare Plan, and its Chief Technology Officer Amani Ibrahim Shokry; American Collective, LP, which does business as ACLP Health Plan; Papyrus Green Investments LLC; and their owner Ahmed Ibrihim Shokry, as well as Health Plan Administrators, LLC."
"the defendants violated the FTC Act, the Telemarketing Sales Rule, the Impersonation Rule, and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act"
"unfairly charge consumers without their express, informed consent"
"fail to disclose material terms and conditions of their negative option feature, specifically the steps consumers must take to cancel the monthly recurring payments"
"the court entered a temporary restraining order against the defendants"
The FTC sent warning letters to 12 companies offering 'nudify' tools that generate nonconsensual intimate images, for failing to comply with the TAKE IT DOWN Act (TIDA) by not providing a mechanism for victims to request removal of such content. The letters urge immediate compliance with TIDA, which requires platforms to remove nonconsensual intimate images within 48 hours of a valid request. Noncompliant companies may face future legal action and civil penalties of up to $53,088 per violation.
The FTC began enforcing the TAKE IT DOWN Act on May 19, 2026, a law requiring covered platforms to establish a process for victims to request removal of nonconsensual intimate images and delete such content within 48 hours of a valid request. The agency launched a consumer complaint portal, issued compliance guidance for businesses and consumers, and sent reminder letters to major platforms including Meta, TikTok, and X about their obligations under the law. No specific penalties or enforcement actions against individual companies were announced in this release.
$6.5M
A federal court held Cliq Inc. and its executives Andrew Phillips and John Blaugrund in civil contempt for multiple violations of a 2015 FTC order requiring the payment processor to prevent enabling consumer fraud. The court found the defendants facilitated fraud by processing transactions for high-risk merchants, avoiding fraud monitoring, failing to conduct required underwriting, and ignoring chargeback thresholds. The court imposed $6.5 million in civil contempt sanctions against the defendants.
$795.8M
The FTC and State of Nevada settled charges with lead defendants of the IM Mastery Academy MLM scheme, including Chris and Isis Terry and their affiliated companies, over false earnings claims used to promote financial training programs and a multi-level marketing venture. The stipulated order imposes a $795.8 million judgment, with defendants surrendering nearly $90 million in assets including luxury real estate, vehicles, jewelry, and a yacht, totaling over $100 million with prior judgments from other involved defendants. The order also bans defendants from selling trading-training services, prohibits false earnings claims, and restricts deceptive practices including negative-option misrepresentations and telemarketing violations.
The FTC and State of Illinois, via the Department of Justice, filed a complaint against B.E.S.T. GDR LLC (d/b/a Premium Home Service) and its owner Yosef Bernath for creating thousands of fake home repair business listings with fabricated five-star reviews to deceive consumers. The defendants allegedly routed consumer calls to unqualified representatives, arranged for unlicensed technicians, and violated the FTC Act, Reviews and Testimonials Rule, Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, and Illinois consumer protection laws. No monetary penalty has been imposed yet as the case is in initial filing stages.
Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson sent letters to over a dozen major technology companies reminding them of their obligation to comply with the Take It Down Act (TIDA) by May 19, 2026. TIDA requires covered platforms to establish a process for victims, including children, to request removal of nonconsensual intimate images, with takedown of content and all identical copies required within 48 hours of a valid request. The FTC also issued supplemental guidance to help companies prepare for compliance and warned that it will monitor and enforce violations of the law.