February 8, 2012
For Immediate Release
For More Information
Contact: Dana Brueck 608/266-1221
MADISON — Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen has announced that his office has obtained a consent judgment in the amount of $250,000 against Racine resident Edward Zapencki, resolving a consumer protection enforcement action stemming from Zapencki’s operation of an advertising business known as Fun Treasure Maps. The State sued Zapencki at the request of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP), which investigated Zapencki based on a large number of complaints, and which issued a Special Order in 2007 addressing Zapencki’s business practices.
Using the name Fun Treasure Maps, Zapencki solicits small business owners to advertise on cartoon-style maps prepared for targeted Wisconsin communities. Dating back to 2007, hundreds of businesses paid for advertising on Fun Treasure Maps that have never been produced.
The settlement requires Zapencki to pay restitution, forfeitures, and costs in the amount of $250,000, and reduces that amount by $50,000 if Zapencki delivers all outstanding maps by July 1, 2012. The settlement also prohibits Zapencki, with limited exception, from engaging in sales activities which result in advance payments from Wisconsin consumers for goods or services to be delivered in the future. It also requires him to provide the state with complete information on his sales transactions and map deliveries since April 2007.
A copy of the judgment is available at:
http://www.doj.state.wi.us/news/files/stipulation-consent-zapencki-edward-20120208.pdf
The State was represented by Assistant Attorney General John Greene, with investigative assistance from DATCP.
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