The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has successfully pursued legal action against Christopher Carroll, a prominent figure in a deceptive timeshare exit operation. Following an investigation, a federal court has mandated Carroll to pay a total of $140 million, which includes $95 million in consumer redress and a $45 million civil penalty.

The case originated in November 2022 when the Department of Justice, representing the FTC, along with the state of Wisconsin, filed a lawsuit against Carroll and several associated companies, including Consumer Law Protection and Square One Group. The allegations centered around the scheme's deceptive practices that misled consumers into paying exorbitant fees for timeshare exit services.

The court found that the scheme employed misleading tactics such as falsely claiming affiliations with legitimate timeshare companies and pressuring consumers into signing contracts that violated their rights under the FTC’s Cooling-Off Rule. As part of the ruling, Carroll has been permanently banned from engaging in any marketing or sales of timeshare exit services.