Syndicate Accused in Phony 'Free' Grants Scam Has Assets Frozen

A federal court has frozen the bank accounts of Jeremy Johnson and his associates, along with 61 phony companies the Federal Trade Commission says bilked people out of more than $275 million with promises of phony "free" grants from the government.

The FTC says Johnson and his "I Works" collective touted free trial memberships via websites that promised riches or claimed grants could be obtained from the government to help pay personal expenses. Once hooked, I Works or one of its affiliates would load up consumers' credit-card accounts with charges for monthly fees and unwanted memberships.