A federal court has ordered a central operator in an alleged timeshare-exit scheme to pay $140 million and permanently barred him from the industry, according to the Federal Trade Commission. The ruling marks a significant consumer-protection result in a sector that has drawn sustained regulatory scrutiny over claims that distressed timeshare owners were promised relief that never materialized.

The case centers on allegations that the operation took millions from consumers through deceptive representations about its ability to help owners cancel or exit their timeshare obligations.