This is one of the fellows your mother warned you about. With a handsome face, a creative mind and a complete lack of morals, Kevin Trudeau has swindled thousands of readers and TV viewers out of millions of dollars. The government has been trying to put a stop to his fraudulent books, products and marketing methods for years, but he’s still producing, and raking in healthy profits.
The unfortunate part is that it’s we, the gullible public, who enable him to succeed and grow ever more wealthy.
Kevin Mark Trudeau, the adopted son of Robert and Mary Trudeau, was born on February 6, 1963. He grew up in Lynn, Massachusetts where he attended St. Mary’s High School.
In 1990, he posed as a doctor and deposited $80,000 in bogus cheques in a bank. In 1991, he sold eleven customers a product to enhance their memory. Then he fraudulently used their credit cards to charge over $120,000 in merchandise. He spent two years in prison for his second foray into the world of deception and theft.
While in jail, Trudeau met Jules Leib, a former cocaine dealer. Upon release, they joined a multilevel marketing company, Nutrition for Life, and together, began to operate an illegal pyramid scheme. They were sued by the state of Illinois and seven other states and were required to pay $185,000. The company had to paid over $2 million dollars to shareholders and warrant holders for the fraudulent scheme.
Trudeau then began producing and appearing in infomercials which played on late-night television. He promoted a number of products, and believe it or not, after every show, the station was flooded with orders. As P.T. Barnum observed, “There’s a sucker born every minute”.
He claimed to have a hair farming system that would end baldness forever. He said he had achieved a scientific breakthrough which would cure any addiction in sixty seconds. He claimed that there are twelve known cures for cancer, but they are being kept secret by pharmaceutical companies, the Federal Drug Administration, (FDA) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
In 2004, Trudeau agreed to pay a $2 million settlement to the FTC, for falsely claiming that coral calcium could cure cancer and that a supposed analgesic called Biotape could eliminate severe pain. He also agreed to a lifetime ban on selling products by infomercials. However, he was still allowed, through his rights under the First Amendment, to promote his books through that medium.
He then began writing books : “Natural Cures “They” Don’t Want You to Know About” (2005), “The Weight Loss Cure “They” Don’t Want You to Know About”, (2007), “Debt Cures “They” Don’t Want You to Know About” (2008). The books have sold well. “Natural Cures…” has sold more than 5 million copies.
None of these volumes are worth the price of the paper they’re written on. The health and weight loss books give false and misleading information. The suggestions offered in the debt cure book are easily obtained for free on the Internet.
Kevin Trudeau is a wealthy man, in spite of having been sued by various government entities throughout the years. The fact is that he pays large sums as penalties, but never admits to any wrongdoing. That way, he can boast that it has never been proven that he has misled anyone.
The profits he has made from sham sales far outweigh the amount of the settlements he has paid to date. To him, the penalties are just the cost of doing business. In fact, he can turn them to his advantage by telling potential customers that the huge fines are proof that the government is out to get him, because he has secrets they don’t want revealed.
To this day, the saga continues. On November 4, 2008, Federal Judge Robert W. Gettleman ordered Trudeau to pay $37, 616, 161, the amount consumers paid in response to a deceptive infomercial about his weight loss cure. He also revised the three-year ban on infomercials promoting products, but he’s allowed to present his books.
Kevin has recently released his new book, “Recession Cure: Get Rich in Tough Times”. (2009). He’s doing an infomercial to promote it. Also this year, he’s started his own radio show. As another big bad wolf once observed, “…all the better to fool you with, my dears”.
Be informed, be aware, be alert. When you see, hear, or sense his presence anywhere in your immediate environment, leave the premises, turn off the radio or switch TV channels. Don’t give him a chance to exercise his considerable sales ability on you. It will protect you from being scammed, it will save you a lot of money, and last but not least, your mother will be very proud of you.
Reference: Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
Accessed: July 12, 2009
Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Trudeau
