A rumpled Saint Kevin, and a desperate struggle to save an MLM

My friend Armza attempts to inject
a little reality into the lockup love-fest. Click to enlarge.

So yesterday (December 5) there was some sort of status hearing for jailed serial scammer Kevin Trudeau's civil contempt case thingy. I don't have new court docs yet but the upshot is that he's still in the hoosegow, and the once-patient Judge Gettleman wasn't moved by Kevin's moving attempts to move him. Writes the Chicago Sun-Times:

His hair — until recently a jet-black confection, expertly-coiffed at a Vidal Sassoon salon — was unkempt and lank with prison shampoo.

His voice — which he used to beguile TV shoppers out of millions with his fraudulent claims of an “easy” miracle weight loss cure — had developed a desperate, rasping edge.

And his pleading — dramatic at the quietest of times — plumbed new depths of melodrama.

But convicted liar and TV pitchman Kevin Trudeau’s despairing claim that he “may never see my parents alive again” failed to move a federal judge, who on Thursday rejected the Oak Brook man’s latest bid for freedom in the harshest terms yet.

The Trib had something to say too:

"My freedom is more important to me than any amount of money," an exasperated, rumpled-looking Trudeau told U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman. "If I had it, I would turn it over today. I do not want to spend another hour incarcerated."

It sure sounds a lot different from the Kevin proxy who is writing those Facebook posts where Kevin pretend-says, "I'm happy to be in jail!" We've been hearing a lot from the radiant, saintly "Kevin" who has been imparting life lessons from the lockup. That "Kevin" gets hundreds of likes and supportive gushing for every Facebook post.

So... Kevin Trudeau: rumpled or radiant? You decide.

Some have pointed out the obvious: that he's trying to keep up the brave front (or rather his proxy is doing it for him) for the benefit of the fans (or maybe for his poor dear old parents, who must be beside themselves). But neither the fans nor the parents are little kids who have to be lied to. His parents went down this road with him years ago, and the fans need a good jarring wake up call anyway.

Others have suggested he is trying to keep up a front for himself, to avoid falling prey to a "victim" mentality. Okay, I get that too. But seriously, that train left the station years and years ago when he first started that whole First Amendment martyr thing.

I'll say it again: I don't think Kevin Trudeau belongs in jail. But I think that some of his fans who are still worshiping him (and jeez, some of those SNAG-gy comments on his Facebook page are truly pathetic) need to wake up and smell the stink.

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Meanwhile, back at the Let's Save GIN Corral, they're still trying to save GIN -- including the MLM portion. Some of the "Intervenors" are betraying the fact that it really isn't all about the invaluable "training" in GIN -- it's also (or perhaps mainly) about making money through the MLM, or at least trying to recover some of the thousands they've already spent. This update was sent out by Ohio GIN member Perry Kiraly on December 4.

Dear GIN members,
This is your fellow member Perry Kiraly with a brief SWGF update:

Timothy Shimko, our attorney retained to represent GIN members, is presently in Chicago to continue with ongoing negotiations with the receiver’s attorney and be present at the status hearing in judge Gettleman’s court on Thursday the 5th regarding the civil action involving our club.

Approximately 300 GIN members are currently on the list, and growing, to be added as a Plaintiff's in this action to restore control of the club to the hands of the membership. That number is in addition to those 24 listed on the initial motion.

Currently a top MLM attorney has been engaged, at my request and on behalf of the SWGF, to review GIN’s affiliate program and summit a report complete with any changes deemed necessary to bring our program into 100% compliance with the laws in every country in which an affiliate member resides. The purpose of his involvement is to assist in the negotiations for the continuation of our affiliate program and cash commission payouts to both new affiliate members and those current affiliates that have worked long and hard to build their downlines and earn their well deserved commissions.

$26,000 in payments have been made to date from the SWGF toward the $50,000 retainer requested by Mr. Shimko.

In conclusion of this brief update let me add that positive progress is being made as I write. This week should give us a better view of where we, the members of GIN, are in the effort to regain control of our club and its future.

Contribution details are attached for those that are just hearing about this effort and others that would like to stand with their fellow GIN members who had the foresight and courage to take action and stand up for the club and its members they have come to love.

Thank you,

Perry Kiraly

300 new plaintiffs? Good golly, that's going to make the docket alone swell up to 100 pages if they list 'em all individually, which so far they have been doing. Never was there a better time to use that legal term... um... what was it? Oh, yeah: et al. Just saying.

At this point I am not sure if any of these issues were discussed at the December 5 status hearing; as noted I haven't seen any new court docs -- at least not on the civil case (see PS). But I'll have more to say about that -- plus a devastating tale of MLM madness that marginally involves GIN and Katie -- within the next few days. (Thank you for your patience, Roger W!)

PS ~ There are some new non-developments in the Kevin Trudeau criminal case. As you may recall, on November 12, 2013, a jury convicted Trudeau of criminal contempt. He was taken into custody and remains there awaiting sentencing on February 6, 2014. On December 3 his attorneys filed a motion for acquittal, and on December 6 -- spoiler alert! -- the government filed a request to deny the motion. This document is a combination of the motion for acquittal (Doc 150) and the government's response (Doc 151).

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