The Federal Trade Commission found that an apparel company that was known for inflammatory clothing supporting the Second Amendment and Donald Trump falsely claimed that its imported clothing was made in the U.S. The company was fined.
According to an FTC news release, the Utah-based Lions Not Sheep and its owner, Sean Whalen, were hit with a $211,335 fine last week after it was discovered that the business had removed “Made in China” markings and replaced them with phony “Made in the USA” labels.
The penalty follows an FTC complaint that was made in May.
The company, according to the FTC, put fake “Made in USA” labels on clothing brought in from China and other nations. The other nations were not named in the FTC announcement.
T-shirts, sweatshirts, and jackets are among the goods the clothing brand sells on its website, Amazon, and Etsy.
Products are aggressively promoted through social media channels, according to the FTC, with the assertion that doing so will “teach people it’s possible to live their life as a LION, Not a sheep.”
On its website, several shirts bear the slogan “give violence a chance,” portray images of the late President Trump as the Terminator, and include military-style weapons.
The corporation disagrees with the FTC’s decision, but Whalen said in a statement to USA TODAY that the company “has no choice except to accept it and move on.” The company has been “extremely honest and forthright” about its business, according to the statement, which included a Facebook video broadcast by Whalen in October 2020 in which he claimed the company purchased Chinese-made shirts.
The company and its owner must “cease making false made in the USA” claims and “come open about overseas production,” according to a 12-page ruling from the FTC, in addition to paying the punishment.