Lions Not Sheep, the Utah-based apparel company which deceptively replaced its "Made in China" labels with "Made in USA" branding tags for one of its core products, has been fined more than $200,000 by the Federal Trade Commission.
By a 5-0 count, the FTC recently voted to levy the fine against owner Sean Whalen and Lions Not Sheep, which had been ordered to stop making bogus claims about certain products being made in America — absence of any proof of the manufacturing process taking place within the U.S. boundaries.
All told, the Whalen-led company was fined $211,335 for marketing the false labels.
"Under the order, any qualified Made in USA claims must include a clear and conspicuous disclosure about the extent to which the product contains foreign parts, ingredients or components, or processing," said the FTC in a media statement.
Also, "finally, to claim that a product is assembled in the United States, Whalen and Lions Not Sheep must ensure that it is last substantially transformed in the United States, its principal assembly takes place in the United States, and U.S. assembly operations are substantial."
Lions Not Sheep is a conservative-leaning apparel company that manufactures T-shirts, long-sleeve shirts, and sweatshirts for men and women, along with various items such as hats, wallets, and water bottles — with each one promoting either the virtues of God or the American ideals of freedom.
At last count on the company website, Lions Not Sheep has filled more than 26,400 orders this year, served 222,000 customers overall, and has generated nearly 10,400 "5-star" reviews from its base of online customers.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.