This is the weekend that serial scammer Kevin Trudeau is scheduled to give depositions regarding his civil case with the FTC (case number 1:03-cv-03904, United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, the Honorable Robert W. Gettleman presiding). As you probably know, there is an evidentiary hearing scheduled for this coming Tuesday, May 21, which I mentioned on this post a few days ago. (If you haven't done so already, read that post for more context for this one.) Unless things change, a brief status hearing on this case is set for Monday, May 20 at 1:30 PM. Though motions were made for yet more continuances of the May 21 evidentiary hearing, the judge finally put his gavel down on May 16, and said no more delays. Unless, of course, something happens at the eleventh hour.
So let's assume that the May 21 hearing really, really does go on as scheduled. Will Kevin show up in court in person? Is he even required to physically show up in that Illinois courtroom, or will he be able to phone it in? I have been asking these questions repeatedly, but so far can't find the answer, so I'll just keep on talking to myself till I get bored with it. Anyhow, while some of his ex-fans and current nemeses are claiming that May 21 will be Doomsday for Kevin and GIN, and that "sweet justice" will finally be served, I am withholding an opinion, except to state my usual mantra, which is that more than likely, there will be no neat and tidy endings to this saga. If there are, I will certainly blog about it, and I will be appropriately conciliatory. If there aren't, I will blog about that too. I will try not to be too obnoxious about it.
Meanwhile, I have been poking around on PACER.gov again, looking at some of the documents in the related criminal contempt case (number 1:10-cr-0086, with the Honorable Ronald A. Guzman). My understanding was that a jury trial had been set for June 3. This seems to be the basis of ex-KT b.f.f. Mocktor Loony Coldwell's declaration that Kevin will be arrested June at the latest, if not on May 21. (Actually Mocktor Lenny has been predicting Kevin's imminent arrest for more than seven months.)
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| This has been up on Little Loony Lenny's blog since October 2012. I always wondered if Abe Husein was a bit insulted that his buddy couldn't even be bothered to spell Abe's last name correctly. |
Anyway, when I was looking at one of the criminal case documents I was puzzled, because, unless I was reading a sentence incorrectly, the document appeared to be saying that the June 3 jury trial will not happen. Here is the document in question, which was filed on April 9.
A couple of days after that document was filed, the U.S. government filed a document explaining what the penalties should be, should KT be found guilty of criminal contempt. The government recommended a range of 188-225 months in prison -- or between 15.66666666 and 18.75 years. They used a specific formula for determining this recommendation. Here are screen shots of that six-page document. (By the way, I apologize for doing it this way again, but Blogger apparently will not let me upload PDFs, and I don't have a Dropbox or similar account for you to go grab 'em. Anyway, as usual, click on pics to enlarge.)
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| Re the footnote on page 6, above: Nice try, Kevin's lawyers, but since Kevin's books are self-published, that $37.6 million still went to him. |
None of this is new news, of course, and since those documents were filed, Kevin Trudeau filed bankruptcy (case number 13-764, filed on April 22, 2013). And I have no doubt that numerous other machinations have been going on behind the scenes that aren't reflected in the documents that have so far been made publicly available.
But I doubt that Kevin Trudeau will end up in jail any time soon -- at least not as a result of these cases. And maybe never. Here again is Salty Droid's take on the matter -- and I don't think things have changed much in the six months since he wrote this post.
By the way, I think I've also linked to this article before, but here is a 2010 piece discussing the issue of criminal and civil contempt, with the focal point being Judge Gettleman's original sentencing of Trudeau for that email-deluge incident in early 2010.
Oh, and here is input from two of our top legal experts on what will probably happen on May 21. This was posted on Facebook this past Wednesday (15 May):
TV or not TV? Scamworld will prolly go on...
Apparently a major ABC News investigative story about Kevin Trudeau and GIN -- a story that Abe Husein has been talking excitedly about on Facebook for the past couple of months, due to his part in it -- is going to be part of a new Primetime/Nightline series, which will premiere on May 29. As I mentioned on a couple of Facebook forums last night, I watched ABC 20/20 on Friday night, May 17, and at the end of the broadcast they ran a promo that featured Kevin Trudeau, mentioning that they'd tracked him down in Switzerland, and mentioning his $37-plus million fine. A longer version of the same promo was run a little later, after Friday night's edition of Nightline.
Although Trudeau was the first one featured on the promo, it was in the context of announcing a brand new Primetime/Nightline show called Two Truths and a Lie. If the promo is any indication, Kevin will not be the only subject, though more than likely he will be the first one in what is obviously intended to be a series. As I noted, the series is set to premiere on Wednesday night, May 29, at 10:00 PM Eastern, 9:00 PM Central. Presumably the Trudeau expose will be part of that premiere broadcast. I haven't been able to find a link to the promo clip yet, not even on the ABC News web site, but here is a link to a May 3 press release:
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2013/05/nightline-two-truths-and-a-lie-premieres-wednesday-may-29-at-10-pm-on-abc/
Here is a mediabistro.com piece that has more detail and commentary:
http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/primetime-nightline-two-truths-and-a-lie-to-launch-may-29-with-consumer-focus_b177880
Of course, schedules are always subject to change, due to world disasters and other inconvenient things, such as network politics. But anyway, May 29 looks to be the big day. Too bad it will be AFTER the Charlotte NC Winkwell Militia Boot Camp.
So, will this investigative news story, and any related stories ABC News runs on some of its other regular broadcasts and/or on its web site -- be the final nail(s) in the coffin, the thing that will finally put an end to Kevin Trudeau's scamming career once and for all? Don't count on it. I have a sneaking feeling that the ABC stations, and stations on most of the other major and minor networks,* will still continue to run KT's and other scammers' infomercials. The big sick machine that is Scamworld will hum on, with or without Kevin Trudeau, with or without his infomercials. Even so, it is good that KT will be getting some much needed national exposure again, because it will wake some more people up -- if only for a little while.
* According to Abe, there will be several other media stories running about KT/GIN, beginning on Monday, May 20. Fine. But my point remains valid. See the update, just below.
Update 20 May 2013
The excitement deepens. In another shining example of echolalia (this time declaring, in his most professional Mocktor manner, GINtruth's Bernie O'Mahony to be loony-bin-worthy), Loony Lenny Coldwell has committed another Facebook neener-neener. He has pronounced that he, Peter Wink, and Abe Husein are really the ONLY ones who know what is going on with both the court cases and the media. Loony says that he and Peter will be live in the courtroom tomorrow, and either he, Peter, or Abe will be on the national newses and stuff tonight and/or tomorrow. There will be a "summery" [sic] on national news with Peter and Abe on Tuesday, according to Coldwell.
I have no "inside information" myself, of course, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn that some of the immediate action -- maybe tonight -- will be seen on Chicago's ABC7 station, which boasts one Ben Bradley, who has done numerous
stories about Kevin Trudeau in the past.
Particularly if his bosses in NYC are doing a big story (see
"TV or not TV" section above), it doesn't seem
illogical that Mr. Bradley would be up for another one. Boston and Denver are also markets I've heard in conjunction with upcoming media coverage.
But oops... it looks like I was wrong, at least about the pieces airing tonight. A couple of hours after I posted the above, Abe finally revealed that two stories will be aired tonight by NBC affiliates in Chicago and in Kansas City, Missouri. That makes sense, since Emmy Award winning investigative reporter Ryan Kath, who has aired two KT/GIN stories since last November, is with the KC NBC affiliate, KSHB-TV.
Here is the web site for the Chicago NBC affiliate, though presently it doesn't appear that Kevin Trudeau is exactly going to be the top story tonight, not even on the 5 Investigates section. Darn those tornadoes and stuff. (For that matter, there's been some really horrid weather around the KC area, so there may be other matters that take priority tonight. We'll just have to see, I guess.) [Latest word is that Chicago pulled the KT story for tonight, due to the Oklahoma tornado. But the story is tentatively scheduled to run Tuesday or later this week.]
Anyway, here's Abe's Facebook post:
Abe also posted a quick vid saying he is Chicago-bound to face Trudeau "man to man" at his Tuesday court hearing. But that assumes a lot, the biggest assumption being that Kevin will actually be at the hearing.
It remains to be seen if, or how, any local or national stations will portray Peter, Lenny, or Abe. But I have a feeling that the journos are all professionals and they have already figured out Lenny and Peter's agendas, and have done all due diligence on these guys. I'm thinking that they're not going to throw their sources under the bus, but neither are they going to portray them as heroes.
I know I have mentioned this before, but does anyone else see any irony in the fact that both Lenny and Peter have often dissed the mainstream media, and Lenny in particular is always talking smack about the US court system -- and yet they are trying to use both the media and the judicial system to make themselves look like heroic fighters for truth and justice? As a friend of mine noted, professional journalists know when they are being used, and let's just say that they don't take very kindly to it.
Ya know, I wish I could be more excited about tomorrow -- I really do, because I've been blogging about Trudeau for YEARS -- but I am actually getting ready for a whole lot of nothing in the court room. But at least the news stories should be good. Ryan Kath always does a good job.
But oops... it looks like I was wrong, at least about the pieces airing tonight. A couple of hours after I posted the above, Abe finally revealed that two stories will be aired tonight by NBC affiliates in Chicago and in Kansas City, Missouri. That makes sense, since Emmy Award winning investigative reporter Ryan Kath, who has aired two KT/GIN stories since last November, is with the KC NBC affiliate, KSHB-TV.
Here is the web site for the Chicago NBC affiliate, though presently it doesn't appear that Kevin Trudeau is exactly going to be the top story tonight, not even on the 5 Investigates section. Darn those tornadoes and stuff. (For that matter, there's been some really horrid weather around the KC area, so there may be other matters that take priority tonight. We'll just have to see, I guess.) [Latest word is that Chicago pulled the KT story for tonight, due to the Oklahoma tornado. But the story is tentatively scheduled to run Tuesday or later this week.]
Anyway, here's Abe's Facebook post:
Abe also posted a quick vid saying he is Chicago-bound to face Trudeau "man to man" at his Tuesday court hearing. But that assumes a lot, the biggest assumption being that Kevin will actually be at the hearing.
It remains to be seen if, or how, any local or national stations will portray Peter, Lenny, or Abe. But I have a feeling that the journos are all professionals and they have already figured out Lenny and Peter's agendas, and have done all due diligence on these guys. I'm thinking that they're not going to throw their sources under the bus, but neither are they going to portray them as heroes.
I know I have mentioned this before, but does anyone else see any irony in the fact that both Lenny and Peter have often dissed the mainstream media, and Lenny in particular is always talking smack about the US court system -- and yet they are trying to use both the media and the judicial system to make themselves look like heroic fighters for truth and justice? As a friend of mine noted, professional journalists know when they are being used, and let's just say that they don't take very kindly to it.
Meanwhile I continue to be amused that LennyPeterAbe are
playing the "we know something you don't know" card.
Peter even made a lame attempt at grabbing an
"exclusive" recording of the ABC promo for the upcoming
show, Two Truths and a Lie, and sharing it on Abe's
Facebook page. That didn't work. But you can watch this poor-quality recording that Peter apparently did (you can see his reflection in the TV screen) and that
Loony Coldwell uploaded to YouTube today (May 20). Here is
Lenny's commentary on the vid:
ABC found Kevin in Switzerland! Listen to him scramble!! The End Of Kevin Trudeau Televised on the 29th 10pm CST on ABC. Also tomorrow night a huge start at 10pm also and on Tuesday we are reporting live from the Court Case ( expected incarceration of Trudeau and the confiscation of Gin assets ) and some follow up interviews after trail [sic] and summery's [sic] on Tuesday. And that does not even include the 5 years jail time that is expected for him to get in his criminal trail [sic] in june. Bye Bye KT the end of a 20 year rein [sic] of Fraud, Deception and crimes.
See the first part of this post for some perspective on that criminal case.
And I just got a couple of screen shots of Lenny crowing about court tomorrow -- and sharing a little revisionist history. It was actually Kevin who created Lenny's success, not vice versa. And even Lenny has said as much. I have it on very good authority that Lenny was pretty much continually scrambling for money before KT first started promoting him in his first Natural Cures book. That really turned the tide for Lenny. Although certainly Kevin benefited from Lenny's body of misinformation, Kevin was "successful" -- at least he was a successful scam artist -- long before he started promoting Lenny.
As Salty Droid wrote about Lenny in his first Lenny post last August:
And I just got a couple of screen shots of Lenny crowing about court tomorrow -- and sharing a little revisionist history. It was actually Kevin who created Lenny's success, not vice versa. And even Lenny has said as much. I have it on very good authority that Lenny was pretty much continually scrambling for money before KT first started promoting him in his first Natural Cures book. That really turned the tide for Lenny. Although certainly Kevin benefited from Lenny's body of misinformation, Kevin was "successful" -- at least he was a successful scam artist -- long before he started promoting Lenny.
As Salty Droid wrote about Lenny in his first Lenny post last August:
Totally :: but seriously … nobody had ever heard of this stupid little f----r.Well, until the great divorce, that is. Anyway, heeeere's Lenny:
Then came Kevin Trudeau circa 2005. Trudeau was using a popular lead gen book :: infomercials … and every other trick in the Scamworld book “they” don’t want you to know about to separate people from their money … writ large. Trudeau made fake doctor Lenny Coldwell his B-team bitch :: that changed things for Coldwell … and they’ve been together unhappily ever after.
Ya know, I wish I could be more excited about tomorrow -- I really do, because I've been blogging about Trudeau for YEARS -- but I am actually getting ready for a whole lot of nothing in the court room. But at least the news stories should be good. Ryan Kath always does a good job.
More True-dough on this Whirled:
- May 2013: Kevin Trudeau: Countdown to court date (or not)
- May 2013: Kevin Trudeau + Mark Hamilton = GIN with a twist of Neo-stink
- April 2013: Bankruptcy: GIN members await Level 7 while Kevin Trudeau files Chapter 7
- March 2013: Ryan Kath at KSHB-TV does Trudeau/GIN update, Coldwell & Wink continue to scam with cheap imitation of GIN
- February 2013: Kevin Trudeau's GIN: The sky is falling (again)...yawn
- February 2013: Loony Coldwell: Cheesy video and bad spelling
- February 2013: IBMS Master's Society Supreme Loony Coldwell strikes again
- February 2013: Faux heroes and hypocrisy in action
- February 2013: Meet the new scam, same as the old scam, Part 2
- January 2013: Vital signs: "Immortal" (former) breatharian Mony Vital dies on GIN cruise
- January 2013: Meet the new scam, same as the old scam, Part 1
- December 2012: 2012 ~ The Whirled goes on
- November 2012: Kevin Trudeau: justice delayed...again
- November 2012: Kevin Trudeau exposé on KSHB-TV: buzz, backlash, and big beginnings
- November 2012: Alien nation: just how crazy is Kevin Trudeau (not to mention his sheeple)?
- November 2012: Kevin Trudeau: KSHB-TV undercover investigation
- November 2012: Kevin Trudeau gets some more mainstream lovin'
- October 2012: Evil has not won
- October 2012: Kevin Trudeau: Rats in our heads, GIN down the toilet...and life goes on
- October 2012: Kevin Trudeau: The shape of things to come?
- September 2012: Leonard Coldwell and Fred Van Liew: Pot, meet kettle
- August 2012: Truth is better than GIN any day
- July 2012: Drunk on GIN, and you can too!
- July 2012: Kevin Trudeau's GIN: part of the big sick machine
- July 2012: Independence Daze
- May 2012 (updated September 2012): Paging Dr. C: Bernd bridges in Deutschland?
- May 2012: Can alien DNA save Kevin Trudeau's GIN?
- May 2012: Does a canary with a GIN hangover sing as sweetly?
- April 2012: Viva Lost Wages: Sin City Become GIN City for a weekend
- February 2012: A. Rose by any other name would shill as sweet
- December 2011: True-dough updates: Bad poetry for KT, hate mail for CC
- November 2011: A jumpsuit for Jimmy
- August 2011: First Amendment Stuporhero
- August 2011: Everything old is Nouveau again (or, Neo-scam by any other name) -- Part 2 of 2
- August 2011: Calling all lazy men: let's build a pyramid together!
- August 2011: Everything old is Nouveau again (or, Neo-scam by any other name), Part 1 of 2
- June 2011: Holy Guacamole! True-dough's racist rants
- June 2011: For he's a jolly good felon: True-dough speaks out for Death Ray
- December 2009 (amended several times in 2010): Illuminutty: the secret brotherhood of the chronically gullible
- November 2009: How to take over the world
- July 2009: Horse farts and related matters
- January 2009: Mr. Fire meets up with true dough
* * * * *
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5 comments:
I think it would be a much better utilization of your time to go after corrupt politicians who are causing real harm to our world, rather than infomercial salesmen who sell products of subjective value. Or better yet, why not go after religious crackpots like Benny Hinn? There are people far more deserving of the constant scrutiny that you direct toward a salesman. Such a waste of talent and wit! And you've spent so much energy emphasizing that Trudeau is NOT going to jail, so why even bother?
Anon... sigh... if I had a buck for every time I've been told that I should go after this or that horrid person or issue rather than the person or issue that the one making the suggestion wishes I would just leave alone... well, I prolly wouldn't be rich but I certainly wouldn't say no to a pile of money that large. (Back in the day, Trudeau's ex marketing director Peter Wink suggested more than once that maybe I should focus on Big Pharma, the government, or the medical/psychiatric industry rather than Peter's then-boss and good buddy. After he quit GIN/KT, he wanted me to write about nothing but GIN/KT, in lieu of focusing on some of his new b.f.f.s and bidness partners.)
This blog deals with certain areas in which I have been interested for many years, for what I feel are many good reasons. Numerous other blogs deal with politicians and politics, and many others focus on mainstream religious crackpots. Kevin Trudeau and his scams fit into my area of interest -- my beat, if you will. It doesn't mean that I think the other topics you suggested are less important. They're all important. I just happen to know more about this beat than those others.
But truly, I think that all muckraking blogs serve their purpose. Maybe you should start a blog about corrupt politicians or religious crackpots.
I haven't said for sure that KT is NOT going to prison -- just that I am pretty sure he won't be going any time soon. That doesn't mean that I think he isn't deserving of punishment, nor does it mean that I don't think he should be held accountable for the many people he has screwed over the years.
Whether he gets caged or not I will continue to "bother" with KT/GIN because no matter what happens, he is, in my opinion, still a scammer -- and GIN is still a scam. And people need to know about this. So I consider that with this blog, I'm doing my own small part.
You sure do spend a lot of your time on a serial scammer. If you had a buck for every minute of your time that you have wasted trying to "expose" the serial scammer, you would actually be doing something with your life.
You claim that GIN is a scam but you also admit that you have never listened to the audios. Brilliant journalism. I'll let 20/20 know that you're interested in becoming their next investigative reporter.
Here's a buck: But a life.
Connie - It is quite ironic that anon thinks he/she will be giving the media a scoop, inasmuch as you've been consulted by media producers - both regional and national - for a long time... longer than any of Coldwell's troupe of self-proclaimed "champions for justice" (whom are really just trying to take the same scam over for their own enrichment).
Apparently, your "wasted" time is recognized for the genuine threat it poses to the scammers; if it weren't, they wouldn't bother trying to silence you. And they tell YOU to get a life??!!
LOL, Ron... my thoughts exactly.
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