New York (CNN) An amended class-action lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court on Thursday accused President Donald Trump, his three eldest children and his company of collaborating with a fraudulent marketing scheme to prey on investors -- including by recruiting teenagers, promising them success as "The Trumps of Tomorrow."

The lawsuit alleges that in exchange for "secret" payments, Trump and three of his adult children used his former reality TV show "The Celebrity Apprentice" and other promotional events as vehicles to boost ACN Opportunity, a telecommunications marketing company linked to a nonprofit that used Trump's brand to appeal to teens.

After Trump joined the board of the nonprofit in 2009, the lawsuit alleges, it distributed an edition of its magazine, "Success from Home," that contained an article titled "The Trumps of Tomorrow," announcing his involvement and featuring an interview with him. Included in the magazine was an image of four teenagers, as well as references to Trump's children, "who all now work with the Trump dynasty."

"I think children learn by example," Trump was quoted as saying in the article, according to the lawsuit. "I'm happy to lend my support to charitable organizations like the SUCCESS Foundation that make a difference on the next generation of leaders."

Trump's association with the nonprofit "lent a gloss of legitimacy to ACN's efforts to reach a new generation of potential recruits," according to the lawsuit, which also notes that information about the board "disappeared" from the group's website around May 2016.

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