The Federal Trade Commission shut down Growth Cave in January 2026. After years of what the FTC alleged were false promises of “passive income,” the court entered a permanent ban on the company’s founders and a judgment totaling more than $48 million. If you paid for a Growth Cave program — the Knowledge Business Accelerator, the Cashflow Consultant Academy, or the credit-building scheme they called Buffalo Bridge — you’re probably wondering the same thing: when do I get my money back?
I want to give you an honest answer to that question, because I’ve watched too many people get hurt twice by situations like this — once by the original scheme, and then again by someone who promises to get their money back for a fee.
Here’s What the FTC Says Growth Cave Did
The FTC filed its complaint against Growth Cave, LLC and its principals in February 2025. The case — Federal Trade Commission v. Growth Cave, LLC et al., No. 2:25-cv-01115 in the Central District of California — was publicly announced on March 7, 2025, with additional defendants added in May 2025.
The FTC alleged Growth Cave operated since around 2020 selling “passive income” coaching programs through YouTube ads. The pitch for the flagship “Knowledge Business Accelerator” (KBA) program promised $20,000 to $50,000 in passive income by creating and selling an online course. According to the FTC, co-CEO Lucas Lee-Tyson allegedly told buyers “It is literally IMPOSSIBLE to fail.” A $30,000–$50,000 upsell called the Digital Freedom Mastermind promised the company would build the course for you. The FTC alleged most buyers made zero sales.
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The “Cashflow Consultant Academy” (up to $6,800) allegedly promised buyers would be placed with “wealthy business owners” as consultants. The FTC alleged most were never placed — and when someone was “placed,” the client was often just another Growth Cave customer. A third product called “Buffalo Bridge” promised credit repair and 0% business loans. The FTC alleged it instead enrolled people in multiple business credit cards, deepening their debt rather than helping it. The company later rebranded some offerings as PassiveApps and ApexMind.
The named defendants are co-CEO Lucas Lee-Tyson (and his entity LLT Research LLC), co-CEO Osmany Batte, also known as “Ozzie Blessed” (and his entity Apex Mind, LLC), and Operations Manager Jordan Marksberry. A relief defendant, Friendly Solar Inc., was also named. The FTC brought charges under the FTC Act, the Business Opportunity Rule, the Credit Repair Organizations Act, and the Reviews and Testimonials Rule.
The court entered final stipulated orders on January 27, 2026. The defendants agreed to the orders without admitting liability.
The Settlement: What the Court Actually Ordered
Here’s where I need you to slow down, because there’s a big number in the headlines and I don’t want it to mislead you.
The court entered judgments totaling $48,597,538. That sounds like a lot — and it is, on paper. But those judgments are largely suspended based on the defendants’ inability to pay. What that means in plain English: the court acknowledges the defendants don’t have $48 million sitting around, so the actual collection will be based on what they actually own.
Here’s what the court did order the defendants to hand over:
- Lucas Lee-Tyson must surrender his multimillion-dollar house, investment accounts, and bank accounts.
- Osmany Batte must surrender a Rolls-Royce, a Ferrari, and other assets.
- Jordan Marksberry’s full judgment is suspended upon paying just $35,000.
- Friendly Solar Inc. must transfer $43,000.
All defendants are permanently banned from selling or marketing business opportunities, from credit-repair activities, and from making misleading earnings, testimonial, or AI claims. That ban is meaningful and lasting. The cash available for victims is a fraction of that $48.6 million headline figure. I want you to understand that going in.
Will You Get a Refund? Here’s the Honest Answer
As of mid-2026, the FTC has not opened a refund claims process for Growth Cave victims. There is no Growth Cave refund page on ftc.gov/refunds — and that page is the only place to watch for one.
Before money can reach victims, several things have to happen first: the defendants’ assets have to be liquidated (real estate sold, cars auctioned, accounts drained), the FTC has to appoint a refund administrator, and that administrator has to set up a distribution process. In cases like this, that typically takes many months to well over a year from settlement. The Growth Cave settlement was finalized January 27, 2026 — so at minimum, we’re probably talking 2027 before anything reaches a victim’s mailbox, if it reaches them at all.
When the FTC does open a refund program, it works one of two ways: if the FTC has the company’s customer records, they mail checks or send electronic payments automatically. If they don’t have a complete customer list, they open a claims process where victims apply. For Growth Cave, it’s not yet known which path they’ll take.
Something I’ve Seen Too Many Times: The Double Scam
I’ve been doing this work since 1994. I have watched the same pattern play out in enforcement case after enforcement case, and I’m going to say this directly: if someone contacts you offering to get your Growth Cave refund for a fee, that is a scam.
Victims of the original scheme are prime targets for a second hit. Scammers track FTC enforcement actions and then contact victims — by email, phone, social media, even mail — claiming they can recover your refund faster, or secure your spot in the claims process, or help you file paperwork, for an upfront fee. Sometimes they pose as the FTC itself or as an “authorized administrator.”
Here’s what real FTC refunds look like: a check, a prepaid card, or an electronic payment (PayPal, Zelle) from a named administrator. You did not initiate it by paying anyone. The FTC never charges a fee to send you a refund, never asks for your Social Security number, and never asks for your bank login to “process” your payment. The FTC itself warns about these refund-recovery scams. If anyone asks you for money upfront to recover your Growth Cave refund, hang up, delete the email, block the number.
The Debt That Doesn’t Wait
Here’s the part that gets overlooked in coverage of cases like this. Many Growth Cave customers — especially those who enrolled in Buffalo Bridge expecting credit repair and 0% loans — ended up with additional debt. The FTC alleged the program enrolled people in multiple business credit cards. Others took out personal loans or ran up existing cards to pay for the KBA program or the Mastermind upsell.
That debt is real, and it doesn’t pause while the FTC case plays out. A refund — if and when it comes — covers what you paid Growth Cave. It does not erase a loan you’re still on the hook for, and it won’t make minimum payments for you in the meantime.
If you took on debt to participate in a Growth Cave program and you’re struggling with it now, that’s a separate problem that deserves its own attention. I’ve spent over 30 years helping people find their way through exactly this kind of situation. The tools at the bottom of this post — especially the debt options calculator — are a good starting point for understanding what’s actually available to you.
You didn’t fail the program. The program failed you. The FTC has now said so in court. And your debt situation — whatever it is — isn’t a sign of your character. It’s a problem that can be solved.
Things to Consider Right Now
Here’s the honest picture going forward:
- No claims process exists yet — check ftc.gov/refunds and bookmark it; that’s the only announcement channel that matters.
- The $48.6 million is mostly a paper judgment — the actual cash available for victims comes only from forced asset sales, which is a fraction of that headline number divided among many people.
- Realistic timeline — asset liquidation, administrator appointment, and distribution will likely span a year or more from the January 2026 settlement date.
- Whether you get a check depends on the records — refund eligibility is mainly determined by the customer records the FTC obtains from the defendants, not solely by whether you filed a complaint.
- The debt you took on is a separate track — it runs on its own clock, regardless of what the FTC does.
What to Think About Doing
There are concrete steps you can take right now that matter regardless of what happens with the refund process:
File at ReportFraud.ftc.gov if you haven’t already. Filing documents your experience and helps the FTC track the scope of harm. That said, be clear-eyed: filing doesn’t guarantee you’ll receive a refund. Eligibility is mainly determined by whether the FTC has the company’s customer records — your complaint supplements that, but doesn’t replace it.
Save every piece of paper you have — contracts, receipts, emails, screenshots, bank statements showing what you paid, and anything showing what was promised. Keep copies in at least two places.
Bookmark ftc.gov/refunds and check it every few months. When Growth Cave refunds are available, the announcement will appear there.
Ignore anyone who contacts you offering help with your Growth Cave refund — especially if they want money upfront. That is a scam. Full stop. If you want to learn more about how to spot fake recovery scams, I covered a similar situation when Western Union paid out to scam victims — the warning signs are the same.
If you have debt from the program, don’t wait for a refund that may take years. Understand your options now. I also wrote about how the FTC’s RivX Trucking shutdown worked — another case where the promised recovery was far smaller than the headline judgment. And my earlier reporting on what the FTC originally found about Growth Cave gives you the full picture of what was alleged from the start.
If you want to share this with someone who was caught up in Growth Cave — or who is considering a similar “passive income” program — please do. The people most likely to be targeted again are the ones who don’t know what the settlement actually means.
I’ve spent over 30 years watching good people get talked into “guaranteed income” programs that were never going to work — and then blame themselves when they didn’t. If that’s you, I want you to hear this: you didn’t fail. You were sold a lie, and now the government has said so in court. Take what I’ve laid out here as one informed perspective. Only you know your full situation, and only you get to decide your next step.
Dealing With Debt? Understanding your options is the first step. See how all your debt relief options compare — including ones most sites won’t tell you about. The Find Your Path quiz gives a recommendation based on your actual numbers, and the Scam-O-Meter checks any company’s complaint history before you sign. Federal Reserve research shows bankruptcy filers recover faster than those who don’t file.
Claiming money you are owed is one good day. What you do over the following year is what actually changes your position.
In the latest issue (Sep 4): You can stop an IRS interview cold — even after you’ve started answering
I write Your Money Actually most weekdays — what I am watching in debt and money, and the small decisions that compound. It is free, I sell nothing, and I take no money from any company I write about.
