Claiming qualifications that you lack in order to drive up sales of publications probably would constitute a violation of the deceptive trade practices act of many states. I can see multiple sections of the Colorado version of this statute that would apply to the practices that you describe and many (but not all) states, including California, have similar statutes.
If someone got a bee in their bonnet about the practices of the people you ghostwrite for, they could be a in world of hurt.
These violations can be enforced by the attorney general's office or by private individuals if they are part of a significant class of consumers harmed by the practice (not necessarily in a class action lawsuit). Lawsuits can lead to injunctions, money damages, minimum statutory damages per violation, and attorneys' fees awards against the offender. Usually, there would not be criminal penalties.
For example, in Colorado, which isn't terribly remarkable but is probably more pro-consumer than many states, some of the things that are classified as deceptive trade practices under Colorado Revised Statutes ยง 6-1-105, as as follows (with selective omissions of cross-references):
(1) A person engages in a deceptive trade practice when, in the course
of the person's business, vocation, or occupation, the person:
(a) Knowingly passes off goods, services, or property as those of
another;
(b) Knowingly makes a false representation as to the source,
sponsorship, approval, or certification of goods, services, or
property;
(c) Knowingly makes a false representation as to affiliation,
connection, or association with or certification by another;
(d) Uses deceptive representations or designations of geographic
origin in connection with goods or services;
(e) Knowingly makes a false representation as to the characteristics,
ingredients, uses, benefits, alterations, or quantities of goods,
food, services, or property or a false representation as to the
sponsorship, approval, status, affiliation, or connection of a person
therewith;
(f) Represents that goods are original or new if he knows or should
know that they are deteriorated, altered, reconditioned, reclaimed,
used, or secondhand;
(g) Represents that goods, food, services, or property are of a
particular standard, quality, or grade, or that goods are of a
particular style or model, if he knows or should know that they are of
another;
(h) Disparages the goods, services, property, or business of another
by false or misleading representation of fact;
(i) Advertises goods, services, or property with intent not to sell
them as advertised;
(j) Advertises goods or services with intent not to supply reasonably
expectable public demand, unless the advertisement discloses a
limitation of quantity;
(k) Advertises under the guise of obtaining sales personnel when in
fact the purpose is to first sell a product or service to the sales
personnel applicant;
(l) Makes false or misleading statements of fact concerning the price
of goods, services, or property or the reasons for, existence of, or
amounts of price reductions;
(m) Fails to deliver to the customer at the time of an installment
sale of goods or services a written order, contract, or receipt
setting forth the name and address of the seller, the name and address
of the organization which he represents, and all of the terms and
conditions of the sale, including a description of the goods or
services, stated in readable, clear, and unambiguous language;
(n) Employs "bait and switch" advertising, which is advertising
accompanied by an effort to sell goods, services, or property other
than those advertised or on terms other than those advertised and
which is also accompanied by one or more of the following practices:
(I) Refusal to show the goods or property advertised or to offer the
services advertised; (II) Disparagement in any respect of the
advertised goods, property, or services or the terms of sale;
(III) Requiring tie-in sales or other undisclosed conditions to be met
prior to selling the advertised goods, property, or services;
(IV) Refusal to take orders for the goods, property, or services
advertised for delivery within a reasonable time; (V) Showing or
demonstrating defective goods, property, or services which are
unusable or impractical for the purposes set forth in the
advertisement; (VI) Accepting a deposit for the goods, property, or
services and subsequently switching the purchase order to
higher-priced goods, property, or services; or (VII) Failure to make
deliveries of the goods, property, or services within a reasonable
time or to make a refund therefor;
(o) Knowingly fails to identify flood-damaged or water-damaged goods
as to such damages;
(p) Solicits door-to-door as a seller, unless the seller, within
thirty seconds after beginning the conversation, identifies himself or
herself, whom he or she represents, and the purpose of the call;
(q) Contrives, prepares, sets up, operates, publicizes by means of
advertisements, or promotes any pyramid promotional scheme;
(r) Advertises or otherwise represents that goods or services are
guaranteed without clearly and conspicuously disclosing the nature and
extent of the guarantee, any material conditions or limitations in the
guarantee which are imposed by the guarantor, the manner in which the
guarantor will perform, and the identity of such guarantor. Any
representation that goods or services are "guaranteed for life" or
have a "lifetime guarantee" shall contain, in addition to the other
requirements of this paragraph (r), a conspicuous disclosure of the
meaning of "life" or "lifetime" as used in such representation
(whether that of the purchaser, the goods or services, or otherwise).
Guarantees shall not be used which under normal conditions could not
be practically fulfilled or which are for such a period of time or are
otherwise of such a nature as to have the capacity and tendency of
misleading purchasers or prospective purchasers into believing that
the goods or services so guaranteed have a greater degree of
serviceability, durability, or performance capability in actual use
than is true in fact. The provisions of this paragraph (r) apply not
only to guarantees but also to warranties, to disclaimer of
warranties, to purported guarantees and warranties, and to any promise
or representation in the nature of a guarantee or warranty; however,
such provisions do not apply to any reference to a guarantee in a
slogan or advertisement so long as there is no guarantee or warranty
of specific merchandise or other property.
(u) Fails to disclose material information concerning goods, services,
or property which information was known at the time of an
advertisement or sale if such failure to disclose such information was
intended to induce the consumer to enter into a transaction;
(v) Disburses funds in connection with a real estate transaction in
violation of section 38-35-125(2), C.R.S.; . . .
(y) Fails, in connection with any solicitation, oral or written, to
clearly and prominently disclose immediately adjacent to or after the
description of any item or prize to be received by any person the
actual retail value of each item or prize to be awarded. For the
purposes of this paragraph (y), the actual retail value is the price
at which substantial sales of the item were made in the person's trade
area or in the trade area in which the item or prize is to be received
within the last ninety days or, if no substantial sales were made, the
actual cost of the item or prize to the person on whose behalf any
contest or promotion is conducted; except that, whenever the actual
cost of the item to the provider is less than fifteen dollars per
item, a disclosure that "actual cost to the provider is less than
fifteen dollars" may be made in lieu of disclosure of actual cost. The
provisions of this paragraph (y) shall not apply to a promotion which
is soliciting the sale of a newspaper, magazine, or periodical of
general circulation, or to a promotion soliciting the sale of books,
records, audio tapes, compact discs, or videos when the promoter
allows the purchaser to review the merchandise without obligation for
at least seven days and provides a full refund within thirty days
after the receipt of the returned merchandise or when a membership
club operation is in conformity with rules and regulations of the
federal trade commission contained in 16 CFR 425.
(z) Refuses or fails to obtain all governmental licenses or permits
required to perform the services or to sell the goods, food, services,
or property as agreed to or contracted for with a consumer;
(aa) Fails, in connection with the issuing, making, providing,
selling, or offering to sell of a motor vehicle service contract, to
comply with the provisions of article 11 of title 42, C.R.S.;
(cc) Engages in any commercial telephone solicitation which
constitutes an unlawful telemarketing practice as defined in section
6-1-304; . . .
(gg) Fails to disclose or misrepresents to another person, a secured
creditor, or an assignee by whom such person is retained to repossess
personal property whether such person is bonded in accordance with
section 4-9-629, C.R.S., or fails to file such bond with the attorney
general; . . .
(jj) Represents to any person that such person has won or is eligible
to win any award, prize, or thing of value as the result of a contest,
promotion, sweepstakes, or drawing, or that such person will receive
or is eligible to receive free goods, services, or property, unless,
at the time of the representation, the person has the present ability
to supply such award, prize, or thing of value; . . .
(ll) Knowingly makes a false representation as to the results of a
radon test or the need for radon mitigation; . . .
(ss) Violates any provision of part 33 of article 32 of title 24,
C.R.S., that applies to the installation of manufactured homes; . . .
(hhh) Knowingly represents that hemp, hemp oil, or any derivative of a
hemp plant constitutes retail marijuana or medical marijuana unless it
fully satisfies the definition of such products pursuant to section
12-43.4-103(15), C.R.S., or section 12-43.3-104(7), C.R.S. . . .
(iii) Knowingly enters into, or attempts to enforce, an agreement
regarding the recovery of an overbid on foreclosed property if the
agreement concerns the recovery of funds in the possession of: (I) A
public trustee prior to transfer of the funds to the state treasurer
under section 38-38-111 , C.R.S.; or (II) The state treasurer and does
not meet the requirements for such an agreement as specified in
section 38-13-128.5, C.R.S.
(2) Evidence that a person has engaged in a deceptive trade practice
shall be prima facie evidence of intent to injure competitors and to
destroy or substantially lessen competition.
(3) The deceptive trade practices listed in this section are in
addition to and do not limit the types of unfair trade practices
actionable at common law or under other statutes of this state.
