AdvoCare controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
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2019
AdvoCare settles FTC pyramid-scheme charges
Settlement
AdvoCare was ordered to pay $150 million to resolve charges that it operated an illegal pyramid scheme that deceived customers about their potential income. The settlement also permanently banned the company from multi-level marketing.
Source excerpt
Texas-based dietary supplement company AdvoCare was ordered to pay $150 million to resolve charges that the company operated an illegal pyramid scheme, which deceived customers who believed they could earn a significant income as "distributors" of its products.
As a result of the settlement, the company, its former CEO Brian Connolly and top promoters Danny and Diane McDaniel are permanently banned from multi-level marketing.
2018
FTC pyramid-scheme allegations
The FTC charged AdvoCare and related parties with operating an illegal pyramid scheme and using misleading representations about the business opportunity.
2016
Criticism of distributor recruitment and income claims
ESPN reporting examined AdvoCare’s distributor economics, recruitment practices, celebrity endorsements, and claims about financial success, contributing to public scrutiny before the FTC action.
2008
Jessica Hardy supplement-contamination dispute
Swimmer Jessica Hardy attributed a positive clenbuterol test to a potentially contaminated AdvoCare Arginine Extreme supplement. An arbitration panel reduced her suspension after expert testimony supported possible contamination. AdvoCare disputed the finding and cited negative results from two laboratories.