FRAUD: Pro-Trump apparel company fined after bogus Made in USA scam exposed
Lions Not Sheep, an apparel company that sells pro-Trump merchandise, was fined over $200,000 for replacing the original “Made in China” tags with ones claiming the products were “Made in USA” – and shipping a copy of the U.S. Constitution with each order.
Lions Not Sheep founder Sean Whalen promotes the brand on social media, wearing t-shirts sporting messages like “GIVE VIOLENCE A CHANCE” and “SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED.”
The Utah-based company specializes in pro-Second amendment, anti-Covid mandate, and anti-Biden messaging…and, apparently, fraud.
A complaint filed by the Federal Trade Commission alleges that between May and October of 2020,
“Whalen removed tags that disclosed where the products were made. The company’s shirts had labels that read ‘Made in the USA,’ ‘Made in America,’ ‘Are your products USA Made?’ ‘100% AMERICAN MADE,’ and ‘BEST (expletive) AMERICAN MADE GEAR ON THE PLANET.'”
Whalen himself posted a video on social media bragging about “ripping out” the Made in China tags, Mediaite reported.
The deceptive actions of Lions Not Sheep and its owner were condemned by the regulating agency.
“Companies that slap phony Made in USA labels on imported goods are cheating their customers and undercutting honest businesses, and we will hold those companies and their executives accountable for their misconduct,” said Sam Levine, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “American consumers have the right to know the truth about where their clothes and accessories are made.”
An order finalized by the FTC accuses Whalen of “falsely claiming that its imported apparel is Made in USA,” when it was actually made in China and other countries.”
“Under the order, Whalen and Lions Not Sheep must stop claiming that products are made in the United States unless they can show that the product’s final assembly or processing—and all significant processing—takes place here and that all or virtually all ingredients or components of the product are made and sourced here,” Mediaite reported.
A press release from the FTC states that “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.”
Original reporting by Kyle Dunphey at Deseret News and by Sarah Rumpf at Mediaite
Follow Ty Ross on Twitter @cooltxchick
