KOLs & promotion
Floyd Mayweather, DJ Khaled and ICO promotion
The 2018 SEC cases show that compensation can include several arrangements hidden behind a public endorsement.
Research articles and reference entries are published in English. Navigation is available in seven languages.
People & projects
In this article
The SEC announced settlements with Floyd Mayweather and DJ Khaled for failing to disclose payments to promote initial coin offerings. Its account identified payments from Centra Tech and, for Mayweather, other ICO issuers. The settlements included disgorgement, penalties and interest. Both settled without admitting or denying the findings.
The case provides a concrete reason to investigate the commercial relationship behind a confident endorsement. Followers saw a familiar person; the issuer was buying distribution. The relevant evidence was the compensation arrangement, not whether the celebrity sounded enthusiastic.
An ICO promotion and the conduct of the token's founders remain separate subjects. Do not transfer every allegation against an issuer to every promoter without evidence. A good case entry identifies the particular post, payment, obligation and outcome. The same discipline applies to modern ambassador campaigns, paid Spaces and token-for-content agreements.
Sources
Research checked 5 September 2026. Historical cases retain the date and legal status of the cited record.