Florida court orders Fundsz operators to pay $31 million

A federal court in Florida ordered Fundsz operators Brian Early and Alisha Ann Kingrey to pay more than $31 million in restitution and civil penalties, imposing permanent trading and registration bans in a Commodity Futures Trading Commission enforcement case announced September 30, 2026. The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida entered a default judgment requiring the defendants to pay $15,732,455 in restitution and a $15,752,455 civil penalty. The orders also bar them from further violations of federal commodities law. The court’s judgment addresses their conduct involving Fundsz, an unincorporated entity and website associated with digital asset and precious metals trading. According to the court findings as described by the CFTC, Early and Kingrey misrepresented expected profits, Fundsz’s previous trading performance and the risks of losing money. They also claimed that funds would be traded using a proprietary algorithm and that participants could withdraw their money with interest. The court found that, after learning of the CFTC investigation, the two began retreating from profitability claims and sought to remove Fundsz’s social media presence.