Pages

▼

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Evil has not won

Some of you have been asking about a post that I published the other day, but that now appears to be missing in action. Titled "Teutonic Twerp versus the Cosmic Slut," it was mainly about some of the ludicrous lies that one of my more recent snargets (snark targets) had been posting recently on Facebook about "the cosmic slut." Little Snarget made up stories about "the cosmic slut" being a former prostitute who is now being paid by Big Pharma and/or the medical profession to defame heroic healers such as himself. Though no real name was mentioned, it seemed pretty clear to whom he was referring with all of that "cosmic slut" stuff. So I felt compelled to write about it, and I even posted screen shots of his libelous declarations.

Not long after Little Snarget's own libelous posts were published, they were taken down by the person on whose Facebook Timeline he'd posted them. A couple of days after I published my blog post about the matter, however, Little Snarget posted another libelous Facebook screed, alleging that "the cosmic slut" -- who, he apparently felt compelled to repeat, is a former hooker -- had given a "bad STD" to the guy who'd informed Little Snarget about her. Little Snarget vowed to pursue justice against the "cosmic slut" and to make her wish she had never heard of him. He bragged that he can do this because he is rich and the "cosmic slut" is poor. He said he will really get started getting even with her beginning this Wednesday (tomorrow), when he is finally "done with" Kevin Trudeau. He figured Trudeau would be arrested today, and then he could go about his business of Operation Cleanup. (See the PS to this post.)

Little Snarget added that the "cosmic slut" is no doubt responsible for many people dying of cancer because she is out to stop people like him who cure cancer naturally. He called her a cancer and a tumor that needs to be eliminated from society, for everyone's own good and safety. And he called for people to send in any information they had about the "cosmic slut." That sounded amazingly like an implied death threat or an incitement to do violence against someone. Not cool. Not cool at all.

And yes, I saved screen shots of that one too, as did a few other folks.

That post was taken down too, as well it should have been. End of story? Maybe, maybe not.

I had several reasons for taking my own post down. It is probably temporary, and the post has not been destroyed or deleted; it is merely waiting in the wings, along with the supportive comments that some of you were kind enough to send. And I hasten to assure you that none of this has anything to do with my being directly threatened by Little Snarget. I am taking a wait and see attitude about the entire thing. However, if he does threaten me further, either with legal action or something worse, and/or if he continues to spread lies about me, then I will do more than merely re-publish the post.

It seems that I have a very high tolerance for this kind of thing -- maybe a higher tolerance than I should have. I'm not just talking about my tolerance for actionable bits of drivel, but also my tolerance for apparent misogyny. One of the commenters to my now-temporarily-hidden posts called out the little man's lies as a clear sign of the contempt for women that, unfortunately, still prevails on the Interwebz as well as in society at large. (And lest anyone attempts to point out that Little Snarget just luvs the ladies, I'll point out that compulsive/relentless/aggressive womanizing and misogyny are not mutually exclusive. In fact, they often co-exist quite happily.)

The misogyny I am talking about sometimes expresses itself in attempted "slut shaming," which is particularly silly (and probably actionable) when it is founded on a total fabrication. I have always tried to be balanced regarding these issues, and I make an honest effort not to see sexism or misogyny in every little negative thing that is said about an individual woman. But in this case, given the context and given what I know of my little detractor, I think my commenter may very well have been right.

In any case, I just want to reassure you that this issue is not dead. Evil has not won.

And speaking of evil not winning... My pal Salty Droid has just announced that he is putting blogging on the back burner (sort of) for a few months while he digs into some other projects, some of which he can and has talked about, some of which he can't talk about yet, and all of which, I imagine, have something to do with fighting the forces of Scamworld. He announced it on today's post.

If you don't mind my quoting myself (it does seem rather vain, but I've never pretended to be anything else), I'll repeat what I wrote as a comment to this post on his blog:
As people sometimes like to say to comfort themselves when they’re not sure that everything is really okay: “It’s all good.” But in this case I suspect that it really is all good. What’s good about this is not only that Jason will be more able to focus on Actually Getting Something Done (even as the little Droid continues to bleep around in the background and cough up some blog posts as the mood strikes him).

But there’s something else good about this too, potentially: the fact that it may create a false sense of complacency in Scamworld.

I can imagine, for instance, the Wimberley Mafia, or what’s left of it, high-fiving now that the pain in their collective a$$ is taking a bit of a hiatus. Of course if there’s only one member of the Wimberley Mafia left, as I rather suspect, the high-fiving will be somewhat difficult. But maybe that one remaining member can silently congratulate himself that all of his Ho’oponopono’ing and cleaning and clearing and his yagyas finally worked. (Worked the way they did with Hurricane Rita and Hurricane Ike, is more like it.)

And maybe the smarmy little not-doctor with the hands-on healings and the 92% cancer cure rate will crow that it was HIS doing that made the little robot stand down. I’ll watch the Facebooks for signs of that.

And maybe the Internet Marketing Syndicate members will be breaking out the champagne and the hired escorts and saying that they “won” at last.

But evil has not won, and won’t. And contrary to appearances, it isn’t even getting a reprieve.
Yeah. What the "cosmic slut" said.

PS ~ Today was the day that Kevin Trudeau was supposed to have had a Very Important Court Hearing. I never could get the details about exactly when it was supposed to be, but several people said that True-dough could very well end up being arrested today. Little Snarget was one of the people crowing the most loudly about this, and taking credit for it to boot. Well, now it is moot, because apparently Trudeau's lawyers were able to buy him a little more time. Reportedly, the hearing is now scheduled for November 20. As I think I may have mentioned a few times before... no neat and tidy endings on this one. But evil has still not won.

More True-dough (and Little Snarget) on this Whirled:
* * * * *
Now more than ever, your donation is needed
to help keep this Whirled spinning.
Click here to donate via PayPal or debit/credit card.
If that link doesn't work, send PayPal payment directly to
scrivener66@hotmail.com
or to cosmic.connie@juno.com
If PayPal, be sure to specify that your contribution is a gift. Thank you!
at 11 comments:

Friday, October 19, 2012

Kevin Trudeau: Rats in our heads, GIN down the toilet... and life goes on

As many of you may know, time is running out for serial scammer Kevin Trudeau to pay his $37.6 million fine to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC). As reported on this blog late last week, the FTC had until October 15 to respond to the latest contempt motions related to this matter, which Trudeau has been fighting for years. Yesterday, October 18, I saw a copy of that response, as well as corroborating documents, including a statement from Trudeau's former sales and marketing director, Peter Wink. My pal Bernie at GINtruth.com put the docs on his site; you can find them on this post.

If you want to get right to it, and haven't seen it already, the meat of the matter is right here in the FTC's October 15 response (again, the link is courtesy GINtruth.com). Here's a preview of what's covered in this 17-page document:



There is an amusing twist to this tale. True-dough has often bragged about his billionaire status and lavish lifestyle, using his "perfect" life as a selling point for GIN. However, according to the October 15 document as well as this July 13 document, he has repeatedly pleaded poverty as a reason he cannot pay the big FTC fine. If this is beginning to sound familar to some of you, it's no doubt because that was the same excuse that Mr. Harmonic Wealth himself, James Arthur Ray, used for not being able to post bail when he was first arrested in early 2010. Turds of a feather, again.

More recently, True-dough has offered to pay the fine in rather paltry installments, as you'll see if you read the October 15 document. (Here's that link again, for your convenience.)

On the July document, the FTC recommended incarceration for True-dough as the only way to get him to pay the fine. In 22 pages, that document outlined many of the suspicious (to say the least) things that Trudeau has been doing with his multiple bank accounts -- namely, concealment of assets, and even what the writers of the FTC document, described as "money laundering" at a casino. The October document basically confirms the information in the July document, and repeats the call for incarceration.

So... either Trudeau has been lying to his followers about being rich, or he is lying to the FTC about being poor. I concur with the FTC's conclusions that it is the latter, and there are several exhibits to back that conclusion, including Peter Wink's statement, which includes a picture of True-dough's McCastle in the Chicago area. Peter goes into detail about his personal observations regarding True-dough's lavish lifestyle.

Yet until recently True-dough has been telling his followers that he will not pay the FTC fine because he feels it is unjust. Not a word about his inability to pay because he is just a poor boy.

And even at this late hour, he is framing it all as a fight for your rights. In this October 18, 2012 video, you'll find him once again playing the First Amendment Stuporhero/free-speech martyr role to the hilt. (He even compares himself to Christ on the cross, invoking the "Forgive them, for they know not what they do" theme.) Looking pale and sincere, he goes on and on about how "they" are just out to get him, to kill him figuratively if not literally. As Bruce Willis said in one of my favorite movies, Disney's The Kid, "Somebody call a waaaaaaaaambulance!"

Fake heroes, real opportunists, and grass-roots informants
The other amusing twist to this tale -- well, at least it is amusing to me and perhaps to a few of my allies -- is that not-Doctor Leonard Coldwell, the former Bernd Klein of the Republic of Germany (I first wrote about him here), is crowing loudly about this matter on Facebook and elsewhere, such as on $28-a-head conference calls. Ever since he got kicked out of GIN and lost his nearly $17,000-per-month speaker fee, not to mention any other residuals and perks he might have been enjoying, Lenny has been dissing his former b.f.f. Kevin Trudeau. But his crowing has become even louder as Trudeau's possible arrest becomes more of a possibility.

For instance, there was this Facebook post on October 12, the day that many of us received the July 13 FTC document that called for Trudeau's arrest:


And he has written other similar Facebook posts since then.

Yet what Coldwell continues to ignore in his posts is the fact that if -- or rather when -- GIN is shut down, and when or if Trudeau gets arrested, it will be because of investigations by the FTC and other agencies and parties who have had Trudeau's number for years, since long before GIN even existed.

All of the "justice fighters" on Facebook had nothing to do with it. Lenny's ranting had ZILCH to do with it. He would no doubt still be happily sucking on the teat if he hadn't been thrown out. I'm not suggesting that all of his information is inaccurate. He obviously had some inside information about Trudeau, and continues to get it from some of his buddies. But he is not the heroic fighter for truth and freedom in this matter that he claims to be.

GIN is just the latest and possibly greatest scheme to be dreamed up by lifelong con artist Kevin Trudeau. But it is the FTC, et al. who are going to get him -- "The Man," in other words -- as more than one person, totally outside of the ex-GIN Facebook and ex-KT-employee scuttlebutt circles, indicated to me months ago. No, I haven't known all of the details. But I have had a very good general idea about what was happening. The FTC documents are just confirmation of what I already knew or suspected, but didn't want to run my mouth off about prematurely.

So I can't stress it strongly enough: Leonard Coldwell's moonbatty rants on Facebook and on his web sites and on any of his wingnutty blogs or radio shows have had nothing to do with stopping Trudeau. It is, pure and simple, and for better or worse, the government and other authorities that will stop Kevin Trudeau.

What makes this particularly amusing is that, as we know (and as I've mentioned a few times here and on other forums), Coldwell is no fan of the U.S. government.




On more than one occasion he has, however, recommended to ex-GINs that they contact the FTC, as well as the Illinois Attorney General and other authorities. So as I've also noted before, he has no problem recommending these authorities to nab his ex-buddy, but he insists they have no power to stop him and his wildly-exaggerated cancer-cure claims, or anything else he has done under the banner of his phony degrees.

In any case, I think it's a pretty safe bet that most of Lenny's squawking about Trudeau and GIN has been chiefly motivated by a desire for revenge for being thrown out of GIN, as well as a desperate desire to suck the ex-GIN into his own sales funnels. There was this the other day on Facebook, for example (and between you and me: despite the fact that I know there are indeed real horror stories with GIN, that whole "Roy" tale sounds a little bit contrived).


This was followed by a few Lenny links:


Can you say "crass opportunism," boys and girls?

That said, I do want to acknowledge Bernie at GINtruth.com for the hard work he has done on his blog to document the scam that is GIN, without any agenda to sell people worthless $20k "certification" courses and whatnot. I also give credit to Abe Husein for his grass-roots efforts, beginning early this year, to inform GIN members that something smelled rotten in GINmark. Abe has initiated other efforts that I suspect will pay off very soon as well. And certainly I credit Bob Trudeau, Kevin's beleaguered older brother, who has shared many insights and experiences, and is working on a book about those experiences.

I give due credit to Peter Wink as well for helping disseminate information, including the FTC documents, after he left Trudeau's employment in late April of this year. I also give him credit for any past or present assistance he may have lent to investigators in an effort to keep anyone else from being scammed by Kevin Trudeau. Better late than never.

In all honesty, however, there is a bit of an elephant in the room regarding Peter's willingness to promote Trudeau for two and a half years when, by his own admission, he has known about Trudeau's criminal past since the 1990s. Certainly he knew about it when he went to work for Trudeau and GIN in late 2009. Despite my conversations with him about this, I still find it difficult to believe that he truly thought the leopard had changed its spots. I also find it difficult to believe that Peter ever bought the "Secret Brotherhood" and "secret GIN council" tall tales at all, so if he was responsible for promoting these stories, and creating the marketing copy that promoted them, then it could be said that he was part of the ruse too. I am not suggesting for a moment that he knowingly participated in criminal activities, but for two-and-a-half years he promoted someone who had a past history of doing very dodgy and often criminal things.

Post-GIN, I think Peter is making a huge mistake (and I am being charitable when I call it a "mistake") by continuing to associate with and profit from people such as Lenny Coldwell. Peter is well aware of my feelings, but this is one of those things about which we continue to agree to disagree. Peter has indicated numerous times that we should concentrate on Trudeau and that everything else, including my criticism of Coldwell, Ron Ball, Peter Ragnar, et al., is a distraction. But I have always had a broader focus than Trudeau; after all, Trudeau is far from the only cog in "the big, sick machine." There are many others, and the people who promote them and profit from them are, in my opinion, contributing to the problem.

Convo with a GIN drinker
Needless to say, there has been quite a bit of scuttlebutt about these matters on Facebook and on various blogs over the past week. Last Friday evening, hours after the July FTC docs hit, I received an email from a Trudeau fan and GIN member. It was the beginning of a prolonged conversation, which, in the interest of presenting "the other side," I will share here. And in the interest of preserving my correspondent's privacy, I will just call him... Dick (not his real name).
Hi Connie.  Thanks for speaking out on Dr Lenny.  Kevin Trudeau is refusing to pay the 37 million dollars because then he admits to doing wrong and freedom of speech for this nation is in jeopardy.  If you wanted to write a book, they can stop it.  What's wrong with saying a diet is 'easy'?  Know of anyone that is more on the consumer side that KT?  Thanks
Dick
"Dr. Lenny," of course, is Leonard Coldwell. I was not sure if Dick was referring to my speaking out about Lenny on my blog or on Facebook, or both. I've also participated in discussions accompanying the Leonard Coldwell posts on Salty Droid's blog, though I somehow doubt Dick reads Salty Droid. But in any case, of course I had to respond to Dick:
I understand your concerns, Dick, but Trudeau's misdeeds go much further and deeper than his declaration that his diet based on the Simeons hCG protocol is easy. It is a gross over-simplification to say that the FTC's case is based totally on that declaration. That is a story KT tells people to win them to his side, with hopes that they will contribute to his Stand With KT Legal Fund. As I noted on my blog Whirled Musings, in both my latest post (October 12) and my "First Amendment Stuporhero" post (August 2011), I recognize that the issues are not all black and white. I know the government does dodgy and even illegal things all the time. I too worry about the limitations being put on speech and expression, and I think I understand the gist of the Cato institute arguments on behalf of Trudeau. I also wonder if throwing him in jail is the best solution, since he is not a violent criminal.

But IMO Trudeau is a serial scammer, and his scams outweigh any "whistle blowing" or "consumer advocacy" or "free speech advocacy" in which he has ever been engaged. He has a lot of people convinced that he is fighting "for the people" when in reality, he is only fighting for Kevin Trudeau.

As far as I am concerned, he and Coldwell are birds of a feather. They were friends for 20 years (according to statements both of them have made), and Trudeau had to have known about the phoniness of Coldwell's creds, if not all of the allegations of Coldwell's personal misconduct. Only when things finally came to a head, for various reasons that I've heard, was Coldwell booted out of GIN. And that's when Coldwell started ranting against Trudeau. And then we've had Fred van Liew cluck-cluck-clucking over Coldwell.... so I'm just sitting back shaking my head at the whole pot-meets-kettle scenario that is being played out over and over again.

In a nutshell: believe many good people have been sucked in by Trudeau's charms and trickery, but he is no hero.
CC
Dick responded:
I understand where you are coming from I think.  But you sound like you're working for the FDA and FTC.  Simply, KT is the biggest advocate for the consumer.  "They" want you to think he's a scammer.  Let me know of anyone he's scammed.  I don't want to argue about it though. 
Dick
And then, a little later, before I'd had time to respond, this came in...
lol Fred Van Liew clucking.  I stay off of FB.  My group is growing in GIN and for the people that stay off of FB.  GIN's not perfect, but has helped a lot and made people alot of money.  I've made  more than I put in.  But, it's not for everyone. I think Coldwell went crazy. Thanks Connie.
Dick

Actually, thanks to some of the intrepid GIN rebels I've "met" on Facebook, I was well aware of True-dough's admonitions about wasting time on Facebook (more on that in a little while). At any rate it was getting late by then, and I had real-life stuff to do, so I waited till the next day to make a point I should prolly have made on my initial email:
Hi, Dick:
One matter I forgot to mention yesterday is that according to people who have listened to Kevin's October 12 GIN Member audio update (not the Affiliate update, but the Member update), Kevin said in that audio that he will be paying the $37.6 million FTC fine soon.

My sense is that if this is true he has decided to pay the fine as a last-ditch desperate effort to stay out of jail. He is rapidly running out of options. It would not necessarily be an admission of wrongdoing and of course he will spin it all for his loyal followers so you guys will get even more angry at the government and will be inspired to give him even more money.

My guess is that for numerous reasons, jail could be imminent even if he pays that fine, but almost certainly he will land there if he does not pay. According to a July 13, 2012 court document I read (and linked to on my October 12 Whirled  Musings blog post), the FTC has recommended incarceration for KT to coerce him to pay the fine. Lacking payment, they want him to turn over all of his records to prove that he does not have the funds to pay the fine and that his claimed impoverishment was not his own doing.

The document says that KT has made the latter claim: that on numerous occasions he has claimed poverty as the reason he has not paid.

The FTC refutes this claim -- outlining proof that Trudeau lives a luxurious lifestyle; presenting hard evidence that he has worked diligently to conceal assets in the US and overseas and even used a casino to launder money; and that on numerous occasions Trudeau has simply said he refuses to pay the fine and will never pay it.

Now, admittedly some people have gone overboard crowing about this since Friday (Oct. 12), shouting from the rooftops that the FTC has called for "immediate" arrest of KT, and implying that he will either be dragged away in chains at any moment, or that he already has been. One person who has gone overboard is of course that nutcake Coldwell.

These people seemingly ignore the fact that the arrest recommendation is more than three months old. The recommendation for arrest probably carries quite a lot of clout but since KT has not yet been arrested, my guess is that his attorneys bought him some time.

In any case there will be another hearing about this matter on October 24 -- and the link to a document about that is also on my latest blog post ...
Bottom line: Unless I miss my guess, before the month is out, KT will either pay that FTC fine, or end up in jail, or both.

BTW, the FTC and no doubt several other agencies and authorities are wise to GIN as an MLM and get-rich scheme --  a get-rich scheme for KT, that is. If that July FTC doc is any indication, they are on GIN like flies on stink. The document mentions Nevis as a notorious asset haven, for instance  -- something I have been pointing out for a long time as just one of many red flags for GIN members.

My sense is that GIN's days are numbered, and of course I am not alone in this opinion. I am not surprised, through. I have been blogging since late 2009 about what a scam and a sham GIN is. Now the evidence is surfacing to indicate that I was right all along. But I don't credit myself with any great discernment capabilities or investigative prowess. The writing was on the wall from the beginning. The problem is that some people were so blinded by KT's light that they could not even see the wall.
CC
Dick responded:
Thank you. That's too bad we live in times of sensorship.  Have you ever listened to the Your Wish CDs?
Dick
Dick was referring to Your Wish Is Your Command, the 14-CD upsell for GIN, and the product that True-dough sold on some of his infomercials. I replied:
I guess we disagree on the definition of "censorship." While the government often over-steps, so too do the hucksters such as Trudeau, who use their "right to free speech" to deceive others in order to get their trust and their money. As I've noted, the issues are not all black and white, but to look upon Trudeau as some kind of hero simply is grossly inaccurate and quite unwise. YMMV, of course.

No, I've not yet listened to YWIYC. Someone sent me a set some time back, and I have read extensive transcripts that others have taken the time to publish, and it seems to me that it's just the same old same old motivational stuff (which is freely available elsewhere), peppered heavily with Trudeau's earnest attempts to suck people into the GIN vortex.
CC
And that's when Dick was sure he had me:
Just as I suspected, you didn't listen to the cds.  Therefore you cannot have an opinion on them.  If you know wher to look, you can find information that is on the cds, but they're presented in a special way so to be usable for the average person.  That's why they have changed thousands of lives and GIN grew so fast and will continue to grow.  The world is ready for this information.  Also, it's only kindergarden, the better information is in the GIN levels.  99% of the negative people were only free affiliates or weak Level Is.  [Name of one of the GIN rebels] is one of them.  He tried to cheat to make a platinum promotion and got caught.  My platinum check has doubled in the last month.
Thanks for your information.  Take care.
Dick
I responded:
Oh, Dick. Trudeau WANTS you to believe that if you keep throwing more money at him you will be able to obtain advanced levels of knowledge. If indeed GIN is growing, which I doubt, it is only growing because of Trudeau's powers of persuasion, and his uncanny ability to dangle the carrot of "more info" that will be available at the next level. I can't believe that educated grownups are still buying this. My opinions about Trudeau and GIN have almost nothing to do with what [the named GIN rebel] did or didn't do. I've been through this argument in great detail with another GIN drinker, and have also discussed it with the GIN rebel himself, so I think I know what is going on. It appears to me that GIN was set up so people COULD "cheat" their way to Platinum -- and IMO this was done as a short term money grab for Trudeau. Whether the GIN rebel deserved or didn't deserve his Platinum bonus, he did have the courage to rock the boat when few of the other members were doing it.

And this doesn't even touch on the other dodgy promotional gimmicks that have been presented in the time since GIN came into being -- the unfulfilled Lazy Man leads, the extravagantly pricey "Inner Circle" flopportunities, the $10k Summer Bonanza bonuses that were supposed to be paid months ago, and the like.

So, while I take issue with the GIN rebel's giving Coldwell a pass, a fact of which he is well aware (though I understand why he is doing it), and I will just have to leave it up to others with a better understanding of all of the issues to decide if the GIN rebel and others who have complained do or do not deserve their bonuses, I applaud his efforts to inform people of the scam that is GIN. I will concede that the YWIYC CDs presented widely available information, misinformation, and self-help material in a special way -- but ONLY to sell GIN, not to change people's lives in any way except to empty their bank accounts while replenishing Kevin's. It's brilliant marketing, though. It seems to me that the gist of your argument is that I have no right to an opinion because I have not yet listened to the CDs, but I had Trudeau's number years ago and don't have to listen to YWIYC to know he is still a scammer and that GIN is a scam. (And truly, do you REALLY believe those tall tales about his membership in a "Secret Brotherhood?")

If I may ask a personal question, how much money have you invested in GIN -- including membership levels (if applicable), tools, products, attending events, etc. -- and how much money have you earned as a direct result? And since time is money, how much time have you invested in GIN activities, including trying to persuade others to join GIN?

CC
Dick came back:
I don't want argue. I was hoping you'd be unbiased. I'll give you my money report soon. I still don't know of anyone who didn't get paid for what they were supposed to get nor anyone who did not get money back from the lazy men OT Hotleads. I agree, they shouldn't have given the lazymen to only a couple people in the beginning. Spread it out. 
Dick
I was getting a little bored with the exchange, and really didn't expect a money report from Dick. I wanted to end on a peaceful note, so I wrote:
Thanks, Dick. You seem like a good person; I hope you don't lose too much in the long run from your involvement with GIN.
CC
But... lo and behold, back came Dick, spouting some real imaginary numbers:
I'm a small platinum but I've made 3 times what I put in. You won't hear the success stories on FB because most of the successful people (who do the work) do not waste time on FB.  I put in about 20 hours a week.  I don't want to hurt your feelings, but you are not qualified to make opinions about the upgrades and inner circle and things.  Have you ever run a successful business or anything?  GIN has paid millions and millions out to the downline.  about the 10 thousand bonus?  I got 16 and put some of it towards a free cruise for me and the wife and a free trip to Nashville coming this week and still have 10 grand coming.  What are they going to say after it's paid?  You're taking information from a few level I weaklings and losers in life and using it as gospel.  The absolute basic principles in life for those who want to succeed is to stay positive.  At least not negative about others.
Dick
Yeah, I've heard about how KT -- or KY, as some of his detractors would have it -- has advised that people who spend time on Facebook are losers. Well, tell that to Fred Van Loony and scads of other GIN drinkers who spend a great deal of time on Facebook. In fact, tell that to True-dough himself, who apparently thinks it is okay to spend four hours a day Facebooking, Tweeting, blogging, and so forth as long as you are doing it on his behalf. Thanks to Abe Husein for this little snippet video that captures Trudeau giving contradictory advice on two separate member update audios. [NOTE: This video has since been removed, apparently due to harassment from GIN forces. ~CC, 10-23-12]

In any case I felt obligated to respond to Dick (and I didn't mention the video linked to above because it didn't exist yet) [and doesn't exist any more, at least not on YouTube ~CC, 10-23-12]:
Don't worry, you're not hurting my feelings. I have been successfully self employed for many years -- some lean years, some good ones. I am happy with what I do. I agree Facebook is often a waste of time. But again, my opinions about Trudeau AND GIN are based on many factors, and have little to do with what the people on Facebook are saying. I have been writing about Trudeau and GIN on my blog since 2009 and only got wind of the GIN disenfranchised this past May. I have taken nothing they say as gospel.

Are you saying that you got paid $16,000 in the 2010 Summer Bonanza bonus deal? The one where if you joined in July of 2010, and remained a member for two years running, you would get $10,000? http://www.prlog.org/10774018-gin-council-approved-july-2010-summer-sales-bonanza.html
(Which, I presume, since you said you got $16k, would mean that you signed up three people during that time who also qualified?)

Did you actually GET that other $10,000 you say you have coming?

Just curious: Are you an Inner Circle member?
CC
Dick answered:
You better be wrong about KT!:) Yes, I signed up 3 that qualified.  I'm using the bonuses for those 3 because they give you an extra 500 for each total of 7500, for upgrades and free events.  And I have 10 in cash coming.  Yes, it should have been here already, but give it some time.  Should be here by November or November at the latest.
My brother is an Inner Circle Member.  Highest Level.  Been by Kt's house.
I can let you listen to an affiliate audio update addressing some things if you want.
Dick

A little later he sent me this email, accompanied by a link to the latest weekly Affiliate Update from True-dough.

See if this works.  This is a weekly update given to free affiliates addressing a couple things we're talking about.
Dick

I thanked him, and the next day I resumed our convo.

Hi, Dick:
You do know, of course, that it is on the Members weekly update (for October 12, 2012), rather than the Affiliates weekly update, that Kevin said he will be paying the $37 million-plus fine soon, right? IMO it is rather disingenuous of him not to mention that little matter on the freebie update as well, but then it makes sense, as the free Affiliate material is more geared towards getting undecided people to sign up for a paid membership. My sense is that it wouldn't do to let the non-paying affiliates know that the fearless leader may be capitulating to the FTC; it might discourage them from signing up to become a paid GIN member.

I have a few more questions about your interests in GIN, if you don't mind. Actually this is more about your brother. You say he is an Inner Circle member. Did he join at the $50,000 level or during the $75,000 promotion? Has he received any real benefits, beyond having been to Kevin Trudeau's leased home in the Chicago area (for which Trudeau pays $12k a month in rent)?

Does your brother have a family or someone for whom he is responsible, and if so, to your knowledge are they comfortable with him spending $50k or $75k to be part of Trudeau's "inner circle?" Just curious.

I can imagine that as an Inner Circle member your brother would have even more of an interest than you in believing in GIN and Trudeau -- and equally as important, in convincing others to believe -- since he has put out so much money. KT and his followers love to ask, "Who do you listen to?" If you listen to your brother you might consider that his vested interest may be blinding him to some of the realities of what is really going on. 
CC

Well, Dear Ones, I have to say that apparently this not sit well with Dick, who shot back:
Connie. If you knew what I knew, you would laugh at yourself. Your so very unqualified to even ask such questions. You have no credibility. A guy who's sold 50 million books and all his businesses has plenty of money. Kevin does not need GIN. You do. You can call me if you'd like to discuss this further, but I'll just be debating with someone who does not matter. 
Dick

I did not respond, due to being occupied with real-life stuff again. It was fun stuff, so fun that it almost made up for the heartbreaking, gut-wrenching revelation that I do not matter. But I did notice that Dick did not answer the questions I asked about his brother. I suppose they really were none of my business.
A little later Dick sent this:

There's a good Rats in your head audio for you that just came down. Connie, focus on the winners. 
Dick
The rats that are in my head, and yours, according to Kevin True-dough, are those negative naysayers such as the mainstream media and so forth. This audio has provided the GIN-soaked minions with yet another mindless cliche to fight the growing legion of critics.
I responded to Dick:
Lots of people hate rats, but rats are smart animals. They are survivors. At the very least, they are smart enough to try to escape a sinking ship.

And my guess is that the GINtanic is sinking fast, and Trudeau's crew is well aware of it. But they will continue to reassure the passengers as the orchestra plays its favorite tune, "Nearer My Fraud to Thee."
CC
For the record, though I did not mention this to Dick, I think rats can be pretty darn cute. At any rate, Dick was clearly not amused by my reply, and responded:
Again Connie. You're unqualified and broke. 
Dick
And then when I didn't reply, I got this:
LOL Gintantic, I heard that one before.  Let's just wait and see.  I appreciate you emailing with me.  I have to go now.  I love that you're so passionate about things.  Take care.  Let's stop emailing and see, thanks.
Dick
Yes, Dick, you may very well have heard 'GINtanic' from me, either on my blog (I think it was back in May when I first used it), or somewhere on Facebook. In any event, I honored Dick's request to not email him any more.

But then, just a couple of days ago, I got this:

Here is the audio!  I'll let you respond once after you listen to this since I bothered you first:)  I know I can't change your thinking on GIN, your beliefs were extablished years at on Trudeau.  But again, you're getting your information from 3rd parties that never really had much skin in the game.  Most of the positive and successful ones have no time for FB and arguing. I'd like to go on there and talk about Coldwell and his overpriced products, but nah.
Dick

Embedded in the message was an email announcing Trudeau's "rats in your head" audio. The link has been quite widely distributed, so I have no qualms about posting it here. So here it is.

Dick is, of course, quite wrong about people who don't have "skin in the game" not being qualified to give information about something. Sometimes not having "skin in the game" allows one to look at things much more objectively. Having said that, I think it was mighty big of Dick to "let" me respond once after I listened to the audio he sent.

My response is this blog post.

I suppose I owe Dick a debt of gratitude not only for providing me with an easy blog post, but also for reiterating all of the most common pro-GIN arguments concisely so I don't have to re-invent the wheel. Honestly, though -- Dick, L.E., and the many others who have tried to talk some sense into my rat-filled head -- I wish all of y'all well, and if you need moral support when the GINtanic finally sinks, I'm here. So is GINtruth.com.

Meanwhile, many of the pro-GIN troops are now gathering at the GIN Family Reunion in Nashville, which goes from today through Sunday, October 21 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort. There has been some speculation about whether or not True-dough will even show up at the event, but I rather think he will. After all, word is that he has another ground-floor bizop for them! (Prolly has something to do with the cartons and cartons of expired KT Daily Vitamins supplements that he can't get rid of.) I have a feeling, however, that Nashville, and post-Nashville, will prove to be very...um... interesting. And I will be sure to provide links, as soon as I get them.

For now, though, here's the deal, as I see it from my Whirled: It's more likely than not that eventually Trudeau will end up in jail, or even prison, for who knows how long, on who knows how many charges. The contempt charges related to the FTC fine are just a small part of it. Other investigations have been ongoing; I know that much.

Beyond that, I am not going to mouth off with predictions about exactly when and where GIN will meet its demise and Trudeau will be stopped from scamming (at least he will be stopped for a while; remember, prison didn't stop him before). It's just a matter of time, though, because, as I have been writing for years, Trudeau is a scammer and GIN is a scam.

Now if you will excuse me, I need to go feed those rats, because they are making quite the racket.

PS added on Monday, 22 October 2012: As I have noted before, citing this August 17, 2012 document, a status hearing had been scheduled for this coming Wednesday, October 24, 2012, to determine if an evidentiary hearing is required in connection with the FTC's Motion to hold Defendant Trudeau in Contempt. To misquote something Biblical, "There will be hearings and rumors of hearings..." More recently I have heard, but presently have nothing to link to substantiating it, that there will be an arraignment on Tuesday, October 30, 2012, presumably to make a decision about such matters as whether or not Kevin Trudeau will indeed be incarcerated. I have only been told that October 30 will probably be "a big day." But again, this is just speculation, since I have not been able to independently verify this information. There could be more eleventh-hour stall tactics, and Trudeau could indeed end up paying the $37.6 million fine, or at least enough of it to placate the FTC temporarily, and thus be able to stay a free man for a while longer. At this point, as far as I know, there are no guarantees one way or the other. But that doesn't stop Lenny Coldwell from continuing to crow about the prospect of his former good buddy in jail...


More True-dough on this Whirled:
* * * * *
Now more than ever, your donation is needed
to help keep this Whirled spinning.
Click here to donate via PayPal or debit/credit card.
If that link doesn't work, send PayPal payment directly to
scrivener66@hotmail.com
or to cosmic.connie@juno.com
If PayPal, be sure to specify that your contribution is a gift. Thank you!
at 12 comments:

Friday, October 12, 2012

Kevin Trudeau: The shape of things to come?


IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS

Case 1:03-cv-03904
FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION (Plaintiff)
v.
KEVIN TRUDEAU (Defendant)

The graphic above -- and of course you will probably need to click on it to enlarge it -- was taken from one of several interesting documents filed on July 13 of this year. (A link is provided at the end of this post.) Court documents related to this case are public record; many can be found on the FTC Web site, and other sites, by typing in the case number and state.

Here are just some of the things the document previewed above says about the "fearless whistle blower" that Trudeau's minions imagine him to be:

To date, he has refused to pay any [of his fines to the FTC], claiming poverty. But his claim is a charade, flatly contradicted by the facts. Trudeau is engaged in multiple, lucrative business ventures and lives a life of luxury. Trudeau, his wife Nataliya Babenko, and the many corporations he owns or controls have held more than eighty (80) bank accounts at five different banks over the past five years, through which $220 million has flowed. Indeed, rather than making any reasonable effort to pay the sanction, Trudeau has gone to extraordinary lengths to shelter or conceal significant assets by, inter alia: transferring them offshore or to his wife, Babenko; keeping his name off corporate records and bank accounts by using Babenko and his long-time confidant Suneil Sant as his nominees; and in the case of his corporate affiliates, by “layering” or transferring funds through multiple bank accounts to conceal their origin. In addition to using his companies as a means to conceal his assets, Trudeau also has used a casino to launder funds, purchasing hundreds of thousands of dollars in chips, mostly with corporate funds, and then cashing out almost the same amount of chips later after relatively minimal gambling.

Bottom line: The FTC wants to put Kevin Trudeau in jail until and unless he pays his more than $37 million fine (the "sanction" referred to above). They are on his case big time.

Of course, True-dough will no doubt continue to milk it for all it's worth, as he has been doing for several years. He'll whine about how the big bad gummit is suppressing him because he is trying to exercise his rights of free speech to tell the unwashed masses about how bad the gummit is, and how bad Big Pharma is, and how bad the food industry is. Sadly, some of the minions still believe his whiny story.

But others -- and not just the authorities -- see him, and his Ponzi-ish Global Information Network (GIN) differently. Some of us have been snarking about it for years. But snarking can only do so much. The FTC and no doubt other government agencies see GIN for the Ponzi-ish scheme it is. And they've had True-dough's number for a long time. As the above-quoted document notes:
The Court is very familiar with Trudeau’s long history of deception and contumacious conduct.
Let me be clear. I don't think there is anything wrong with being contumacious. But there is a LOT wrong with being deceptive, particularly if you are using deception to bilk people out of millions of dollars. And all of the frantic efforts by the apologists to paint Trudeau as a hero and GIN as something good and true and pure will not, in the long run (or even the short run) make a difference. (Sorry, L.E. and friends. Y'all are just going to have to find another fearless leader and can't-miss moneymaking bidness op to glom onto.)

Trudeau has had other setbacks too; on October 5, the Supreme Court of the United States denied a petition to hear his case, despite the Libertarian Cato Institute asking them to do so. Here is a link to a Cato Institute blog post about this. I urge you to read it because it does illustrate that not all of these issues are black-and-white, good-versus-evil matters. But frankly, I think Cato is kind of missing the larger point.

It's been a year of setbacks for True-dough, beginning earlier when it became clear that his efforts to hide some assets via sweet wifey Natalie were an epic fail. Natalie, Natalie, what have you gotten yourself into? Do you ever long for those simpler times when you and your hubby were kissing up to Joe Vitale and other New-Wage superstars, grooming them for involvement in GIN?

Near as I can tell, all of the above does not mean Trudeau necessarily will be incarcerated. And even at this late hour, I am still not sure that caging him is the best solution. After all, unlike some of the people that my colleagues and I have written about, he hasn't killed anyone (that I know of), nor is he an alleged sexual predator, that I know of.

But someone needs to stop him from scamming people.

In any case, more FTC/court action is due later this month. According to this document...

Trudeau's failure to pay a penny of the $37.6 million he owes is the subject of the FTC's collection proceedings and a pending Motion to Hold Defendant Trudeau in Contempt (Doc. 481). The court had entered and continued that motion until it ruled on the instant Motion to Modify. Having decided to deny the instant motion, the court hereby sets the following schedule on the FTC's Motion to Hold Defendant in Contempt (Doc. 481): Trudeau's response shall be filed on or before September 24, 2012; the FTC's reply shall be filed on or before October 15, 2012. The court will hold a status hearing on October 24, 2012, at 1:30 p.m. to determine whether an evidentiary hearing is required in connection with the FTC's Motion to Hold Defendant Trudeau in Contempt. The status hearing previously set for August 30, 2012, is vacated.
There's a lot more information available, but alas, I haven't had much time for blogging. Real work -- or, more accurately, paying work -- has taken up a lot of my time. So I apologize to those who may have been counting on me to keep up with this. Fortunately there are others now to take up the slack. (Hint: Keep your eye on GINtruth.com.)

PS ~ Here is the link to the specific GINtruth post, just published, that provides links to some of the FTC documents referred to above.
And here is a link to the document from which I snipped the graphic above.
It is 22 pages long, but very well worth reading -- more concrete evidence of what some of us were saying years before we knew the particulars: Kevin Trudeau is a con artist, and GIN was one of the biggest scams of his life. And even if he does capitulate and pay that $37.6 million FTC fine, there are scads of other potential charges that can and probably will be piled upon his lying head. So stay tuned...

PPS ~ As per usual, the former Bernd Klein of the Republic of Germany is crowing on Facebook about his former B.F.F. He's taking another opportunity to flash his faux-creds and, more importantly, to mine the disgruntled GIN base for his own purposes. He's going to charge $28 just for that Life After GIN phone call on the 14th -- "to cover expenses." But hurry, because space is limited! If you attend, be sure to tell me what you find out about that $220 "money Laundry." 

More True-dough on this Whirled:
* * * * *
Now more than ever, your donation is needed
to help keep this Whirled spinning.
Click here to donate via PayPal or debit/credit card.
If that link doesn't work, send PayPal payment directly to
scrivener66@hotmail.com
or to cosmic.connie@juno.com
If PayPal, be sure to specify that your contribution is a gift. Thank you!
at 2 comments: