The title here is misleading. The article is talking about a 25 Year Old Scam Artist.

Seems to be blog spam and the article is very short, with the site unresponsive I've pasted it below:

> Jesse Willms - Scam Artist

> 25 Year old Jesse Willms has earned $359 million since since 2007 selling bogus products online using deceptive marketing. This week, the Federal Trade Commission effectively wiped out his assets, obtaining a $359 judgment against him that will be suspended only when Willms turns over his assets including bank account funds, proceeds from the sale of his house, and even his fish tank and fur coat.

> Willms and his companies sold “free trials” of online products including weight loss pills, teeth whiteners, work at home programs, and more. Little did his customers know that the trials weren’t really “free”. Buried deep in the fine print was an explanation that customers would be billed a monthly fee, usually of around $80, if they did not cancel their “subscription”.

> This week’s ruling also limits the types of business practices that Willms can engage in in the future.

> The FTC’s official release can be found at: http://ftc.gov/opa/2012/02/willms.shtm

If he had stopped at a more reasonable number, say 50mm or 100mm. Would this outcome (seizure of all assets) still be just as likely?

Here's a better article that actually explains it all: http://www.pcworld.com/article/250582/ftc_reaches_359_millio...