Michigan's Attorney General's Office has maintained an investigation into Achieve Community since at least January 2015. Documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request confirm the Michigan Consumer Protection Division opened the case after receiving multiple complaints regarding the company's business practices.

One such complaint, filed in December 2014, specifically warned that Achieve Community operated as a matrix recruitment scheme on Facebook. The complainant stated the company had no legitimate product and instead encouraged members to recruit new participants. This model, where income relies on bringing in others rather than selling goods or services, is a hallmark of illegal pyramid schemes.

The sender of that complaint identified Troy Barnes of Detroit as one of the operation's leaders. At the time, Achieve Community reportedly had approximately 1,300 Facebook members. A key concern raised was the apparent lack of proper licensing for Achieve Community to operate within Michigan.

When the Attorney General's Office contacted Barnes in early 2015 about these allegations, his response did not address the substance of the claims. Barnes stated he had no record of the person who filed the complaint and claimed he did not understand the office's questions. This exchange suggested Barnes might have attempted to locate the complainant within an investor database, despite her explicit statement that she was not an investor.

Barnes never provided information regarding Achieve Community's registration status in Michigan. He also failed to respond to the central concern about the business model itself, which appeared to prioritize recruitment over any genuine product sales. Regulatory bodies like the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general consistently warn that schemes promising returns based solely on recruitment are unsustainable and illegal.

An earlier complaint, received by the AG's Office in October 2014, described an "amazing opportunity" that promised to multiply earnings by eight times within 60 to 90 days. While the message was incomplete, the language aligns with common pitches used to lure individuals into high-risk, often fraudulent, investment or multi-level marketing operations. Such rapid, outsized returns are a significant red flag for consumers.

The accumulated complaints depicted classic pyramid scheme tactics: vague financial promises, strong incentives for recruiting new members, and a "product" that served primarily as a cover for the recruitment-driven income structure. These schemes rely on a constant influx of new money from new participants to pay off earlier ones, a mathematical impossibility that inevitably leads to the collapse of the structure and widespread financial losses for those at the bottom.

Despite the investigation running for nearly a decade, no public resolution has been announced. The specific findings of the Consumer Protection Division, any enforcement actions taken, or the current status of the case remain undisclosed. The Attorney General's Office confirmed only the investigation's existence and its opening date, declining to provide further details.

For the woman who filed the December 2014 complaint, the situation had a direct human cost. A friend, caught in the Achieve Community scheme, suffered financial losses they could not afford and would not heed warnings. This personal impact underscores the broader damage caused by such operations, which often strain relationships and leave victims with significant debt and emotional distress.