Infomercial pitchman gets 30 days in prison for contempt

[jal41]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iQYRPEl1zHer4b8kUxqHXhbdbdqgD9DU8AA80
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61G5E820100217
http://www.suntimes.com/news/24-7/2054608,kevin-trudea-infomercial-sentence-021710.article

This involves the federal lawsuit against Kevin "Miracle Cures" Trudeau filed by the Federal Trade Commission. Trudeau urged followers to e-mail the judge en mass, which in turn crashed the judge's computer. The judge was not too happy, and has sentenced Trudeau to 30 days in prison for contempt of court.

 

[nathannah]

It's about time somebody truly called him out on his sleazy ways. I know we have to tolerate his infomercials only because he gets through a first amendment loophole to nullify the FTC ban he has, but the guy seriously drives me up a wall, especially since on Wikipedia we keep having to clean up after fans who promote his radio show which airs on brokered stations with Christmas tree light wattage which together across the nation would only get 10,000 listeners combined.

His claims are incredibly outlandish and his 'shows' keep the image of infomercials stuck in the bad old days of the mid-90's when William McCorkle and Tommy Vue were also slinging their rent-a-cars and mansion snake oil. At least Carleton Sheets has seemed to go into the night quietly (although I never had a problem with him at all compared to Kevin). I'd like to think we've moved on from those days, but somehow he keeps his shows on the air and the stations keep airing them with their whole 'hey, we just take the money. We're not responsible if he's a liar' nonsense.

However I think we can expect the inevitable long-dragging appeal on the good ol' 'free speech rights' and that he'll never serve a day of this sentence.

 

[DToTheJ]

I know we have to tolerate his infomercials only because he gets through a first amendment loophole to nullify the FTC ban he has, but the guy seriously drives me up a wall...

Even more than the late Billy Mays?

"But wait - there's MORE!"

 

[shackleford]

Kevin Trudeau is the worst thing that has ever happened to advertising, and it seems like everything in his life is a scam. I can't listen to his "show" without feeling like he emptied my bank account.

 

[JayR]

Infomercial pitchman gets 30 days in JAIL for contempt

The judge was not too happy, and has sentenced Trudeau to 30 days in prison for contempt of court.

It's jail, NOT prison.

 

[dave73]

Too bad jail won't stop him from creating more scam products & services to sell. I knew someone who was that stupid to believe his lies & buy one of his books. I don't remember the book, but it was one of his expensive books that he ordered from his infomercial.

 

[DS67]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iQYRPEl1zHer4b8kUxqHXhbdbdqgD9DU8AA80
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61G5E820100217
http://www.suntimes.com/news/24-7/2054608,kevin-trudea-infomercial-sentence-021710.article

This involves the federal lawsuit against Kevin "Miracle Cures" Trudeau filed by the Federal Trade Commission. Trudeau urged followers to e-mail the judge en mass, which in turn crashed the judge's computer. The judge was not too happy, and has sentenced Trudeau to 30 days in prison for contempt of court.

Trudeau is scum,But I thought only things that happened in court could be held up as contempt. I'm not so sure telling People to e-mail the Judge is contempt of Court.

 

[FreddyE1977]

Trudeau seems rather sleazy to me, but it appears we have a member of the Imperial Judiciary who thinks that he
is above criticism and is running amok.

The judge should count his blessings that he is only getting emails.
Years ago there was a law in Louisiana that any citizen of the state could petition a court to have any
other citizen committed to a mental institution.

There was a case involving a chemical plant worker who claimed sickness and injury from his workplace.
He sued and the jury awarded him several tens of millions of dollars. The chemical company appealed, and the
appeals court cut the award amount to under $1 million.

This guy responded by petitioning to have the appeals court judge committed!
Gotta hand it to him for creativity! Louisiana has since changed that law.

 

[DToTheJ]

Re: Infomercial pitchman gets 30 days in JAIL for contempt

The judge... has sentenced Trudeau to 30 days in prison for contempt of court.

It's jail, NOT prison.

Are they gonna throw him in the "good" jail, like on Cinemax? :

 

[YEKIMI]

I'm waiting for the day someone sues one of the TV stations for running his crap when the TV stations know he's nothing more than a snake oil salesman [apologies to all the REAL snake oil salesmen out there].

 

[azumanga]

I'm waiting for the day someone sues one of the TV stations for running his crap when the TV stations know he's nothing more than a snake oil salesman [apologies to all the REAL snake oil salesmen out there].

Could TV stations be sued for carrying irreputable infomercials such as Trudeau's, despite the disclaimers before and after the infomercial?

 

[YEKIMI]

Not an attorney but I would think so. If it's been proven he's a con-artist and the crap he peddles on his "shows" is garbage and the TV station knows it, seems like someone would be able to show that they're part of the scam. I know the signs that stores have in parking lots saying "Not responsible for damage by loose carts" wasn't a good defense for one store, someone's car was damaged, they sued and the store was found liable because they did not go out and collect the carts during the day. The judge said they did not make a reasonable effort to collect their carts therefore creating a hazard where vehicles could end up damaged. I would think it would be sort of similar for TV stations.

 

[azumanga]

If it's been proven he's a con-artist and the crap he peddles on his "shows" is garbage and the TV station knows it, seems like someone would be able to show that they're part of the scam.

I wonder if TV stations sell infomercial time sight unseen? A scrupulous TV station would audition the infomercial first before air; if it raised any red flags, they would return the tape -- and the check -- back to the person buying the time.

It seems that TV stations are now practically selling infomercial time to anyone with something to sell -- and with the cash to buy the time. Even to Kevin Trudeau, who already have a legal track record for his scams.

 

[nathannah]

If it's been proven he's a con-artist and the crap he peddles on his "shows" is garbage and the TV station knows it, seems like someone would be able to show that they're part of the scam.

I wonder if TV stations sell infomercial time sight unseen? A scrupulous TV station would audition the infomercial first before air; if it raised any red flags, they would return the tape -- and the check -- back to the person buying the time.

It seems that TV stations are now practically selling infomercial time to anyone with something to sell -- and with the cash to buy the time. Even to Kevin Trudeau, who already have a legal track record for his scams.

The problem is that some of these stations sell the time to one party (such as WorldLink for Fox's Weekend Marketplace), who then subdivide the time and sell it to other parties, who could be as upfront as Telebrands or like those annoying 'Hilton ballroom' stock/real estate seminars that 'roadblock' on every local station the week before who you have no idea where they're coming from. You can see the stations already pleading ignorance, saying 'we didn't know they were carrying Trudeau infomercials' because all they do is point the satellite somewhere, crank on the disclaimer tape and after that let whatever infomercial run until master control tells them to carry something else.

And the thing about Billy Mays; at least the guy was honest and endorsed products he trusted. Sure he was boisterous, but he was a guy making a true living and having fun with it, and he worked his tail off. You read through Kevin Trudeau's history and you just see someone who needs his name out there and to always be making money off some snake oil scheme. All he does is write hooey in Word, get it published, go on a fake news set, buy time and wait for the money to come in.

 

[joshzz]

I found worse pitchmen than Kevin... There's John Beck, Ed Beckly, along with the people that pitch how to play the stock market garbage... Let's not forgot our old friend Happy Days and the scam company that he promotes SBC.... then there's the guy that sells the HOw to Computer Software Disks.. problem with him is that he keeps tapping into your charge card long after you end your relationship with him

Kevin peddles a book that really doesn't cost much money.. These other scams artists will take you for thousands. josh

 

[azumanga]

Let's not forgot our old friend Happy Days and the scam company that he promotes SBC....

I thought Tom Bosley's character on Happy Days was Howard Cunningham, not "Happy" Days? ;D

 

[dave73]

Let's not forgot our old friend Happy Days and the scam company that he promotes SBC..... josh

Actually, that's SMC (Specialty Merchandise Corporation) that Tom Bosley endorses. That business is legit as I have tried it. The only reason I'm using them right now is that I don't have time or money to get a business going. The only other problem has to do with other businesses locally selling the same merchandise. That's the real problem. But SMC is not a scam at all. They do drop ship if you want to go that route. You can even have the stuff shipped to you, then you ship it out. I may look into this again in the future when I do have spare money and time to give it a try again.

Now one con artist of the past was Don LaPre. He used to sell a product for people to get into the 900 line business. I even remember him selling vitamins in an infomercial sometime after he filed for bankruptcy. But Kevin Trudeau is the worst of the infomercial salesmen. After he gets out of jail (whenever he actaully goes to jail), he'll be back to his scams. I'm just waiting for someone I met briefly to get into the infomercial business. His name is Thomas Flanagan, who also goes by a drag name, Lady Vera Parker. He-she's( ) a con artist too.

 

[nathannah]

\
Now one con artist of the past was Don LaPre. He used to sell a product for people to get into the 900 line business.

How could I forget Don LaPre? I was watching an infomercial of his once and when he got so excited with that high-pitch voice of his, my stereo speakers actually triggered the fuse and went out :O! His infomercials have to be among the few programs where you had to watch with the volume at a low level or else.

 

[DToTheJ]

How can this thread die without nary a mention of government-grant hawker (and Riddler-suit donner) Matthew Lesko?

 

[MarcB]

How can this thread die without nary a mention of government-grant hawker (and Riddler-suit donner) Matthew Lesko?

Because Lesko isn't ripping people off. He appeared on that Lie Dectector Show that used to air on FOX and he passed everything.