Florida's Attorney General Bob Butterworth has charged Professional Resource System, Inc. (PRSI) with violating the states pyramid sales scheme laws. The state has filed a complaint in Palm Beach County against PRSI and its principals, William Caudell, Gil Gillespie, Salvatore Argento, Joseph Rotunno and Ben Tobin. The complaint seeks consumer redress and civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation of the state's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.

PRSI is an internet-based business which promises those who buy in the chance to make large sums of money with the company's private intranet.

According to Bob Butterworth, Florida's State Attorney, PRSI told consumers that for a $175 fee they could shop on the network and have a home page through which they could sell their own goods or services as 'CyberMerchants.' For a $295 fee, consumers could also become 'CyberManagers' entitled to earn commissions by recruiting other network investors.

Butterworth claims that about 60,000 consumers have "invested" about $18 million into the bogus network, which has not yet gone online, and no products have been sold. In the meantime, the "CyberManagers" have been recruiting new distributors and earning money on the recruitment, a clear violation of pyramid laws. According to Butterworth,

"The generation of earnings through investor recruitment coupled with the lack of a tangible product add up to an old fashioned pyramid scheme cloaked in modern technology."

Additionally, PRSI claims that a portion of all monies generated will be donated to charity. The named charities are not registered in Florida, nor is PRSI registered as an agent for the charity, another violation of Florida law.