Ecommerce Empire Builders: The FTC Case Against Peter Pru

Ecommerce Empire Builders (EEB) was a Pennsylvania company run by Peter Prusinowski, known online as "Peter Pru", that sold dropshipping courses for $997 to $1,997 and "done for you" AI-powered online stores for $10,000 to $35,000. The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sued it in September 2024 as part of a crackdown on AI money-making schemes, alleging false claims that buyers would earn $10,000 a month, and said it took in at least $14.3 million. In May 2025, EEB and Prusinowski agreed to a court order banning them from selling business opportunities for good, with a $9,786,124 judgment. They neither admitted nor denied the allegations.

So if you are checking Ecommerce Empire Builders reviews or asking whether Peter Pru is legit, the short answer is in that order: the court record ended the business. The FTC's complaint also quotes EEB's own fine print admitting its sales figures were "not typical".

Picture the buyer this was aimed at. You work nine to five. Your Instagram feed shows a young CEO with "$17,269,718.29 in total sales" floating behind his head, telling you to "copy and paste a million-dollar ecommerce business in seven easy steps." His team will build an AI-powered store for you in 30 days. It is "90% hands off." You comment "100k" for the free training. That is how the funnel started, according to the FTC.

Wanting a second income that does not need your evenings is completely reasonable. Paying $35,000 for one on the strength of a screenshot is the mistake this page will help you avoid.

Key facts about Ecommerce Empire Builders

Unless another source is named, what follows is from the FTC's complaint. A complaint is the FTC's case. EEB and Prusinowski settled, so no court ruled on each allegation.

Is Ecommerce Empire Builders a scam? What the FTC record says

EEB was one of five cases the FTC announced on 25 September 2024 under the name Operation AI Comply, aimed at businesses that "have relied on artificial intelligence as a way to supercharge deceptive or unfair conduct." The others included two more online-store schemes, Ascend Ecom and FBA Machine.

The FTC said EEB "claims consumers can potentially make millions of dollars, but the FTC's complaint alleges that those profits fail to materialize," and that Prusinowski used consumers' money, "as much as $35,000 from consumers who purchase stores", "to enrich himself while failing to deliver on the scheme's promises of big income by selling goods online." A federal court temporarily halted the business and put it under a receiver.

The complaint charged violations of the FTC Act, the Business Opportunity Rule and the Consumer Review Fairness Act. The FTC said EEB "earned at least $14.3 million from participating in these unlawful acts or practices" and kept going "despite knowledge of numerous complaints."

When the case ended on 9 May 2025, the FTC's Christopher Mufarrige said: "The defendants' brazen scheme took advantage of would-be entrepreneurs."

What EEB promised

The model was dropshipping: an online store lists products it does not stock, and when a shopper orders, a supplier ships direct. The FTC says EEB taught clients to "find cheap products from Chinese dropshipping companies" and resell them at a markup.

EEB sold that in two forms.

The done-for-you store. Marketed as "Done For You Services", "Business In A Box" and the "Platinum Program", it promised that in as little as 30 days EEB's "seven figure" or "eight figure" team would "build and launch" your "very own cash-flowing online business", "a proven, secure and scalable system that's inflation resistant and has BIG tax advantages", as "a secondary income stream that's 90% hands off." Prices ranged from $10,000 to $35,000 over the life of the scheme.

The course. Ecommerce Empire Academy, $997 to $1,997, described on the site as "Pete's flagship course that will teach you how to run an ultra-profitable eCommerce business using sales funnels and scaling to high 6 & 7 figures!" Another page promised: "No Matter if it's an Extra $1000 a Month OR a 6-Figure Online Income, Ecommerce Empire Academy is YOUR FASTEST Path!"

The ads did the heavy lifting, and Prusinowski fronted most of them:

• Facebook ads from his own account offered "An AI-Powered Ecom Store Built and Launched For You By Our 7-Fig Team."
• In a 6 December 2023 Facebook video, he said he launched three online businesses in one week that made money on day one, by browsing hobbies on Wikipedia, checking Amazon bestsellers and finding similar products on AliExpress and CJdropshipping. The notes on screen promised a "10k/mo Ecom Store Built and Launched by our team" and claimed EEB had already built "57 $10k/mo stores," "34 $50k/mo stores," and "6 $1M+ per year stores."
• On Instagram (118,000 followers) he said viewers could "copy and paste a million-dollar ecommerce business in seven easy steps", with "$17,269,718.29 in total sales" behind his head.
• On TikTok: "Skip the guesswork and start a million-dollar business today." He closed one video by telling viewers to "Comment '100k' down below" to get his "seven figure funnel template."

Testimonials on the site carried headlines such as "Natalia Made $10,000 In Her First Month With Our Ecommerce Platinum Program!" and "Justin & Lindsay Made $12,000 In 12 Days With Their DFY Ecommerce Business."

The "free training" and the sales call

Every ad pointed to a free training video of about 20 minutes. In it, the complaint says, Prusinowski presented himself as CEO, showed sales screenshots from supposedly successful clients, and said many were in EEB's "$10,000 a month club or $50,000 a month club," with some making hundreds of thousands to millions. He said the stores were "powered by artificial intelligence to make your life easier," with AI that "writes copy, advertisements, emails, blog posts, articles, customer service, etc."

He was clear about who it was for: people in nine-to-five jobs who want to make money online, existing store owners not making enough, people who have tried and failed before, and "anyone who wants to capitalize on AI."

After the video came an application form asking how much you could invest, then a call. On the calls, the complaint says, representatives promised EEB would do "all the product selection, 100 percent for you", that stores would be selling within a month and profitable within 30 days, and that running one would take five to ten hours a week. They offered "unlimited one-on-one calls with our team Monday through Friday." Asked whether $60,000 a year was possible, a representative answered: "it's definitely, definitely would be feasible . . . we have a hundred-plus people in the 100K club . . . that'd be over 10, 10k per month."

What EEB's own fine print admitted

This is the most useful detail in the case, because you can look for it on any sales page.

At the bottom of one EEB page, in what the FTC describes as small light grey type on a black background, below a long scroll of earnings claims, sat this:

"DISCLAIMER: The sales figures stated above are my personal sales figures. Please understand my results are not typical. I'm using these references for example purposes only. Your results will vary and depend on many factors…including but not limited to background, experience, and work ethic. All business entails risk as well as massive and consistent effort and action. If you're not willing to accept that, please DO NOT register for this webinar."

Elsewhere: "All businesses have inherent risk. Results not typical, results may vary. We cannot guarantee these results as they are dependent on the client's ability and desire to grow their business."

The FTC's reading: "By their own admission, Defendants lack substantiation for their earnings claims." The disclaimer does not cure the ads, the complaint says, because the overall message was still that buyers were likely to earn substantial income. A "results not typical" line under a page of "$10k/mo" claims tells you the typical result is something else, and the seller chose not to tell you what.

What buyers actually got

According to the FTC:

• Stores that lost money. EEB understated what it costs to run a dropshipping store, "especially ongoing marketing costs." After fixed costs, the FTC says, "Defendants' online stores often lose money", and that includes "the stores Defendants tout as success stories."
• Surprise fees. Clients faced "previously undisclosed recurring fees."
• More work than promised. The model was "much more complex and labor-intensive than described," and course buyers found the academy more resource-intensive than advertised.
• Hard refunds. EEB required clients asking for refunds "to first prove to Defendants that they took specific steps to implement their services," and often refunded nothing or only part. It challenged chargebacks.
• No required disclosures. No disclosure document backing the earnings claims and no list of earlier buyers to call, both required by the Business Opportunity Rule.

The gag clause

EEB's contract contained a non-disparagement clause that the complaint quotes in full. Buyers agreed not to "publish, repeat, utter and/or report any statement or observation" that "would negatively comment and/or reflect on, disparage, defame, impugn and/or call into question" EEB, and not to comment about it "to any person or entity, including, but not limited to, the press."

The FTC said this "prohibits or restrict[s] clients' ability to write and post truthful reviews of their negative experiences," which the Consumer Review Fairness Act forbids in standard consumer contracts. It also means the reviews you found online before buying were filtered by a contract.

Who is behind Ecommerce Empire Builders?

The record is short because the business was one man's company.

Peter Prusinowski (Peter Pru) was CEO and sole owner of Empire Holdings Group LLC. The complaint says he was "the public face of EEB," appeared in its ads and course videos, "opened and controls corporate bank accounts and web domains," signed client contracts containing the non-disparagement clause, and often told clients to contact him directly.

His side: in the stipulated order, EEB and Prusinowski "neither admit nor deny any of the allegations in the Complaint", except for facts needed for jurisdiction. We found no public statement from him about the case.

Timeline of the Ecommerce Empire Builders case

• 2018. Empire Holdings Group LLC is incorporated in Wyoming, per the FTC complaint.
• 2021. EEB starts selling its business opportunities and self-study programmes, according to the FTC.
• 6 December 2023. Prusinowski posts the Facebook ad promising a "10k/mo Ecom Store Built and Launched by our team."
• September 2024. The FTC files its complaint in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. A federal court temporarily halts the business and appoints a receiver.
• 25 September 2024. The FTC announces the case as part of Operation AI Comply.
• 8 May 2025. The court enters the stipulated order banning EEB and Prusinowski from selling business opportunities.
• 9 May 2025. The FTC announces the settlement.

How the case ended

The court entered the stipulated order on 8 May 2025. It:

• permanently bans EEB and Prusinowski from selling business opportunities of any kind;
• bars earnings claims without evidence to back them;
• bars any contract terms that stop customers reviewing or reporting them;
• requires them to hand over assets, including rental properties, luxury watches and the balances of accounts held by the receiver, to fund consumer refunds; and
• imposes a $9,786,124 judgment, partly suspended on inability to pay, which becomes due in full if they hid assets or lied about their finances.

Can EEB customers get a refund?

The order directs the surrendered assets to refunds, but as of 29 October 2026 there is no Ecommerce Empire Builders programme on the FTC's active refunds list. When one starts, it will appear there. Meanwhile, keep your contract and payment records, report your loss at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and ignore anyone who asks for a fee to recover your money.

Red flags to check before buying any store or ecom course

1. Find the disclaimer. Scroll to the very bottom of the sales page and read the small grey text. If it says "results not typical", ask the seller what typical is.
2. Ask for the earnings claim statement. Any seller of a business opportunity in the US who makes income claims must provide one. "57 $10k/mo stores" with no total and no dates is a slogan.
3. Count the costs they did not mention. Ask for a monthly cost sheet: ads, apps, the store platform, product samples, refunds. The FTC says EEB's stores often lost money once those were counted.
4. Search the contract for "disparage". A seller who needs a gag clause expects complaints.
5. "AI-powered" is a feature, not a business. AI that writes ad copy is useful and widely available. It does not make strangers buy your products.
6. Comment-to-get funnels. "Comment '100k' below" ads exist to build a list for a sales call. Treat the free training as the first part of the sales call.
7. Ask what happens if you want out. EEB made clients prove they had done the work before considering a refund. Get the refund terms in writing first.

For the bigger picture on coaching offers, see Online Business Course Scams: 10 Red Flags (From Reviewing 189 Gurus).

What dropshipping actually costs, and the honest way to try it

Dropshipping is legal and some people do make money at it. It is also crowded, ad-dependent and thin on margin, which is exactly what a $35,000 "done for you" price hides. Before you spend anything, read Is Dropshipping Dead in 2026? What the Data Says and Is Dropshipping Worth It in 2026? Honest Analysis.

If you still want to try, the site's Dropshipping 2.0 guide puts a start-up cost at $200 to $2,000 and focuses on branded products and faster domestic suppliers. Build one store yourself, run a small test, and track every dollar of ad spend against every dollar of profit. If it fails, you learn why for the price of a used laptop. If it works, you own it outright and nobody can gag you.

Think of two people a year from now. One paid $35,000 to be told the results were "not typical". The other spent a few hundred dollars on a test store, learned that ads ate the margin on their first product, and tried a second. Only one of them is still in a position to keep going. Be that one.