Kevin Trudeau: you too can be an infomercial huckster!

 
Though still languishing in Camp Cupcake, aka minimum-security cage FPC Montgomery (Alabama), awaiting the results of his appeal (more about that momentarily), serial scammer Kevin Trudeau (aka KT, aka Katie) and his buds are busy keeping his legacy alive. GIN, the Global Information Network, seems to still be humming along (complete with a single-level Referral Bonus Program, if the current Member Agreement is any indication), and Katie is still dictating the inspirational nonsense for his Facebook fan page.

And then there's the infamous baccarat scam, visited some time back on Omri's Glancingweb, and mentioned a few times here as well. For nearly two weeks and possibly longer, a sponsored link has graced the Facebooks, popping up on the right-hand side of the screen on various pages, timelines, and forums with Katie's smiling face. I first noticed it on January 6. It leads to a site called Baccarat Revealed, which is owned and operated by Katie's UK cohort Lee Kenny, who remains, for the most part, out of reach of the U.S. Feds. Currently the baccarat flopportunity is going for $297 US, though the site claims that it has "sold consistently for over a year at $997."
 

But the thing that really made me open my eyes was something I saw on Facebook the other day: a promo for Katie's much-talked-about Infomercial Secrets course, for which, claim the promoters, many people have paid $50,000. And now it can be yours for... are you sitting down?... only $997 (there's that magickal Interwebz marketing number again!).



The promo popped up on my feed because it was shared by one of my Facebook friends via a page called StartUpPlan UK. Oddly enough, the promo now seems to be missing from the page; maybe they got a little bit too much flak about it. StartUpPlanUK is a little cagey about some of their information; instead of sharing the URL to their web site, you have to ask for the URL.

Anyway, the original promo leads to this web site, which is also pretty cagey about its ownership and origins. However, if you follow the "Add to Cart" link you will see that it is a UK URL. My first guess was that Lee Kenny is also behind this one. There don't seem to be any links to company-specific "legal" pages on the main promo page. But if you go to the payment page there are links at the bottom of the page to Paypal legal pages.

My other guess is that anything that benefits Lee -- whether it's the baccarat scam or the infomercial scam -- will ultimately benefit Kevin personally and will more than likely remain out of reach of the Feds.
Looking at the URL of the main site, I noticed it's a Kajabi URL, about which our pal Salty Droid has had a few things to say.

My friend Kenneth, former GIN member and Katie fan, tells me he watched a part of that course and got a glimpse into Katie's unethical marketing strategies. He said Katie shows you how to sell something by playing on people's insecurities and weaknesses, and says Katie stresses that even if you have a great product, folks aren't going to want it unless it meets some emotional need. Well, that's pretty much the way Scamworld works. (I know it's pretty much the way most consumer marketing works, and has for decades -- particularly in the cosmetics and personal-care products industries -- but it's still reprehensible.) That's prolly the crux of the Infomercial Secrets message, anyway: appeal to people's emotions, especially their negative or baser ones. The rest will no doubt just be Katie gabbing about logistics and so forth -- information that he claims is "25 years in the making," but some of which may be outdated.

What probably isn't mentioned in Infomercial Secrets is that his infomercials were what landed Katie in nearly two decades of the legal troubles that ultimately got him into Camp Cupcake, a place from which, despite his joyous screeds on Facebook, he is fighting desperately to escape.

Escape from Camp Cupcake... will it happen, and if so, when?
Meanwhile, as noted and quoted in my previous blog post, Katie's legal defense team is furiously working on the appeal. On Katie's Facebook page yesterday (January 17, 2015) there was this:

Kevin Trudeau Appeal/Legal Updates!
Hello All. I hope everyone has had a wonderful Holiday Season. First, thank you all for the massive amounts of cards and Holiday wishes I have had the privilege and honor of receiving over the last months. I am deeply humbled and appreciative of all your love and support. I return the love and positive energy to you! As you know I have appealed my conviction of contempt of court, (because I am 100% innocent), and I appealed the 10 year sentence as being excessive for contempt of court. (10 years is one of the longest, if not THE longest sentence for contempt of court in the history of America). Contempt of Court is NOT a felony, nor even a misdemeanor.

All the briefs have been submitted. You can read our briefs by sending an email to KTlegaldefense@gmail.com and requesting a copy. [I uploaded the initial ones myself months ago. For links, see this blog post, under "Camp may be fun..." Or see the direct link (to the briefs only) here. ~CC]

Now I wait. The appeal is being heard by a panel of 3 appellate judges. They will rule and make a decision any time now, although it could take up to 18 months before they make a decision. I have a feeling I will hear the decision by the middle to end of the year, although it could be sooner than that or later.

I am asking the appeals court to overturn the verdict of guilty and issue a complete acquittal (not guilty) on the grounds that the government had the burden of proof to show that I KNEW I was violating the order when I made the infomercials and I KNEW I was committing a crime (instead of my belief that I was exercising my First Amendment Rights, which is what I 100% believed I was doing). They government provided absolutely NO evidence as to my intent or state of mind and NO evidence that I KNEW I was committing a crime. Thus I SHOULD be found not guilty, because I am innocent.

IF the appeals court does not acquit me, then we are asking that the case be dismissed because the Government violated the Speedy Trial Act by not bringing the case to trial within the time frame under the Act.

If the appeals court does not dismiss the case as requested, then we are asking them to order a new trial because Judge Guzman did not allow me to use my belief in the First Amendment as a defense. I was forbidden to even say the words First Amendment in court. He also would not allow me to show all the evidence I had proving that I am innocent. (it is all explained in the court briefs we submitted).

Thus a new trial should be ordered where I will be allowed to show ALL the evidence PROVING my innocence.

If the appeals court does not allow for a new trial, then we are asking them to reduce the sentence from 10 years to a max of 6 months because the original Judge who issued the order to show cause for contempt said this was to be "treated" as a misdemeanor with a max of 6 months incarceration if found guilty.

Whatever happens is perfect.. There are no good or bad outcomes other than OUR thinking makes it so. Remember, 99% of all is off the radar screen. What we might THINK is the best outcome, might not actually be for our highest good. Simply know that all IS perfect, as Source/God is ALL things. Everything is one. Thus, perfection at ALL times.

Will Keep you posted!

...and after that he went on a bit about his Nuggets of Gold newsletter, which, of course, I snarked about in my previous post. When you make a "contribution" of $19.95 per month ( "you must hit 'Make this payment recurring – monthly button'") or a one time "contribution" of $210.00, you receive his special, Katie-energy-infused newsletter for a whole entire year. In that newsletter, he will share never-before-shared seekrits, blah-blah-blah.

As many of you may recall, a newsletter is how he started his "Natural Cures" scampire years ago (which was actually launched to feed his legal defense, according to court documents), and consumers are still complaining about signing up, wittingly or unwittingly, for "recurring" payments, and then not being able to disentangle themselves from the scheme when they want. Here's one of the best-known sites that has complaints about Trudeau. Presumably the current scheme, sponsored by the Legal Defense Fund that was formed some after the receiver took over, is tied in somehow to the Feds, so that proceeds will go towards his legal defense, and anything left over will go towards paying down Katie's FTC massive fine... but you never know.

Still... does anyone really believe that Katie has any new seekrit information to offer?

In an email sent over the past couple of days by one of his minions, Katie was a little more specific about the dates of the appeal.

Please forward and subscribe! Written by Kevin Trudeau

My appeal oral arguments have been set for Feb 24th in front of 3 Appellate Judges in Chicago.  It is not open to the public. But the audio recording will be up on the 7th Cir Court website within a few days of Feb 24th. (you can read all my appeal briefs online as well)I should get an answer on my appeal as early as April (although very unlikely that fast). More likely, the answer will come between June and the end of this year (although it could take longer). The outcome, and timing, no matter what is is, will be Perfect! The Universe has it  Perfect all the time! (most just don't realize it until much much later, if at all)

All IS perfect right now..so feel great NOW (like me!)Now, more exciting and very good news. (all news is just news, it is your THINKING that makes it good of bad..thus ALL news to me is GREAT!)To help pay off the legal expenses and continue to get legal representation, The Kevin Trudeau Legal Defense Fund (KTLegalDefense dot com) will be marketing a monthly emailed newsletter/training course called "Kevin Trudeau's Nuggets of Gold".

It is time for me to start sharing the revelations and breakthroughs in training/awareness/manifesting, that I have been eluding [sic -- though "eluding" is actually unwittingly accurate ~CC] to over the last year on my face book posts! (Kevin Trudeau Community Face book page)The first newsletter (Feb Edition) will be emailed to all who subscribe, immediately. It is already written and ready to send to you RIGHT NOW!

...and after that he went on and on again about his Nuggets of Gold newsletter. He's really flogging that thing.

This is and will be a very special, and a very powerful newsletter/training course for you. The "Lessons" will be like nothing you can imagine. They will be unlike anything you have experienced in my training, or any training ever before. They WILL have a monumental impact on you and the releasing of your abilities.These lessons are no intended to "replace" any training/courses/books/clubs/seminars/events etc that you are already participating in or involved. Rather, they will  "add to" and "supplement" what you are already doing to increase your material success, happiness potential, and life experience. I believe they will make everything work better, faster..and EASIER in your life.

Each month the emailed newsletter/training course will contain:-a lesson/message with training/energy/knowledge that will help you manifest your dreams/desires, achieve inner bliss/harmony/joy, and attain complete freedom in all areas of your life on all dimensions. This material will help to "release your abilities" to a level never before attainable. The material/knowledge is coming from new downloads I have had since making it through the "wall of fire"...and many other mental/spiritual experiences that I have had the unique and rare opportunity to discover over the last year during my amazing adventure. [I still wonder about that McMiracle he mentioned in December 2013. ~CC]

I have eluded [sic... again] to many of these in my posts on the Kevin Trudeau Community Face book page over the 12 months. (you can go to that page and read them if you have not already read them. I encourage you to do so, as those posts/messages are powerful)...

...Each issue will be upbeat, motivating, inspiring, positive, revolutionary in it's [sic] material/data and method of teaching, and will simply be a groundbreaking educational/training/awakening "course" for Successful Daily Living! It will make you feel great after every reading. The messages/lessons will be embedded with "strong awakening energy" that will have a beneficial effect on all who read it.

Subscribers and I will have a special bond and connection, as I will always be so "personally" appreciative, directly, to each and every subscriber in a very intimate way.

I encourage you to consider subscribing to "Nuggets of Gold'. You will be helping me personally. (For which I will always remember)  And YOU will be benefitting tremendously from the material/training and life changing energy transfers that you will be receiving each month.

All proceeds go the the Legal Defense Fund (the law Firm of Winston and Strawn) for all my (KT's) legal expenses past, present and future, and the expenses of managing the website.Each Newsletter is written by me (KT) personally.Please share this message/email with as many people as you can. Email this to every one you know. Talk about it in Social Media. Text people...call them. Spread the word.

Post this on the internet, in as many places as possible. Really promote this. Get the word out.Those who do the lots of promotion of this will be honored and recognized at the first event for your efforts, as well as in all Newsletters.This is exciting. The best is yet to come for all of you. Please accept my humble and sincere thank you for all your love and support over the last years as this "adventure' has been unfolding. You are a part of history. You are seeing in "real time' the training in action. You are lucky. You are special. YOUR thoughts and vibration has [sic] brought us together in this powerful  intimate way.

The next Chapter is about to begin.....be on board!With love and respect to you.....KNOW with certainty....I WILL see YOU at the TOP!
KT

See you at the TOP... does he mean the top bunk? Oh, I guess I've already used that joke here.

Anyway. I'm still working on getting my PACER account up and running, after which I will be able to download and share more court documents and really catch up on a lot of what is going on behind the scenes. I have a feeling that despite Katie's promise to keep his minions updated on the court happenings, and his assurance that you will be able to see copies of everything by sending an email to his legal defense fund, there's a lot he's leaving out, as has always been the case. I'll try to fill you in as much as I can.

Meanwhile, thank you for the donations... keep 'em coming. I will be back with much more, very soon.

PS ~ When do you think Katie will be released from Camp Cupcake? My good friend Julie Daniel posed a question on the public Facebook forum, GIN Network Truth. Want to play? Here's the link.

Kevin Trudeau: Mad professor hippie Magoo begs judge for mercy

As currently-jailed serial scammer Kevin Trudeau's sentencing for his criminal contempt conviction approaches (it is scheduled for this Saint Patty's Day at 2:00 PM), there's been a lot of busy-ness in the courts. As reported here a couple of days ago, the government filed a sentencing memorandum on March 10, recommending at least a ten-year stint in the cage for Katie. I linked to the memo and exhibits on that previous post, but for your convenience here it is again.

More documents were filed over the next couple of days. On March 11 Katie's lawyers filed a plea for leniency, and on March 12 Katie himself wrote a letter to the judge in the civil case, Robert Gettleman, asking him to puh-LEEZE intervene on Katie's behalf with the criminal-case judge, Ronald Guzman.

At the moment I'm having Scribd glitches with PDFs and MIME stuff so I can't upload the documents and give you a handy Scribd link. But you might be able to get to the docs from the Facebook thread on the GIN Network Truth group, where I shared them yesterday.

Here is that link.

UPDATE 18 MARCH 2014: Scribd glitches finally corrected.
Here is the Scribd link. 

Since both the March 11 criminal case document and the March 12 civil case doc are about Katie begging for mercy in preparation for the sentencing, I felt they belonged together, even though I usually upload the criminal docs separately from the civil docs. Accordingly, if you can get to the links provided, the first one you'll see is from the civil case; that's Katie's plea to Judge Gettleman for mercy. He makes mention of nearly 90 pleas to Judge Guzman on his behalf, including one from his rabbi. Oy, vey, such a nice Jewish boy he is, having to suffer so needlessly.

By the way, keep in mind that Judge Gettleman is actually the one who is currently holding Katie in the cage for the civil contempt case. The sentence Judge Guzman hands down will be for the criminal contempt case. (I know it's hard to keep up with all of this stuff. Did you know that the civil case has, in nearly eleven years, generated more than 15,000 pages of court docs? Whew.)

Anyway. Katie's melodramatic letter was filed along with one exhibit: a two-page order from Judge Gettleman dated April 16, 2010. Following that, you'll see the plea that Katie's lawyers made in the criminal case on March 11, asking for a max two-year sentence.

Naturally, Katie's ex-b.f.f. and alt-health spokesquack, Loony Coldwell, has taken a brief break from his recent rants and frivolous lawsuits to quote and gloat about Trudeau's letter, calling Trudeau a sociopathic con man who's scared crapless. True enough, Loony, but coming from a psychopathic con man like yourself, the message is amusing in ways you probably didn't intend it to be.

In the court documents there are references to the PSI -- pre-sentence investigation -- report. The original PSI report as well as a supplemental one are still sealed, so I can't read or share them at the moment.

As for Katie himself and that whole begging-for-mercy thing, it's deja screw all over again. I know I've linked to a 2005 Smoking Gun article numerous times here and on Facebook, but I am sharing it again in case you haven't seen it or would like to revisit it. If you follow the links you will see a couple of people begging for mercy, on Katie's behalf, back in the 1990s. Of note, a psychiatrist and Kevin's mommy wrote letters asking the court for leniency (there is some dispute over whether Mom wrote the letter herself or Kevin wrote it). Anyway, here's that link; it's to the home page, and you can follow the other links from there: http://www.thesmokinggun.com/.../would-you-buy-used-cure-man

Meanwhile back at the MCC, Katie preps for his next mercy plea. So far he's been spectacularly unsuccessful in getting mercy from Judge Gettleman, who has clearly lost patience with him after more than a decade of listening to his lies. So apparently now Katie is growing his hair out and continuing to wear his Coke bottle glasses that make his eyes look itty-bitty, despite the fact that, according to court docs filed late last month, Katie was granted permission to get his contacts as well as his personal glasses back (click to enlarge).


Anyway, on March 13, his proxy had this to say on Trudeau's Facebook page:

My sentencing date is Monday, March 17th. How long will I have to be in prison? 6 months? 6 years? 20 years? No one knows. But we all will find out soon! I know I will get out as soon as is perfect. The universe knows what is best for my highest good. (28 years was for Mandala and the country of So Africa's highest good!) Whatever it is it is. A piece of coal needs a certain amount of time and pressure before it transforms into a diamond. I need a certain amount of time and "pressure' for me to reach my spiritual goals and desires and for me to release all the abilities I want to release. The universe knows the answer. I am thankful for this experience and the growth I am achieving. I could have never achieved spiritually what I have if it were not for this experience, environment, and all that has happened. And I am doing things I always wanted to do…like let my hair grow! I have not cut my hair since I have been here! I look almost like a cross between a crazy professor and a hippie! And my grey hairs are pouring in! I also am not wearing contact lenses and letting my eyes rest after all those years of contact lenses use. My super thick "coke bottle" glasses make my eyes so small looking! I feel like Mr .Magoo!! I look so funny! We all have a great laugh with my crazy greying long hair and Mr Magoo glasses! Everyday is a great day for me as I am one day closer to being free, and I to continue my "lessons" and training exercises!. Be happy everyday...life is way too short! Much Love...KT

"Thankful for this experience and the growth I am achieving..." I guess maybe he means his hair growth? Maybe we'll find out on Monday. Or maybe his lawyers will talk him into cleaning himself up and making a dignified appearance. Perhaps he'll even be allowed to wear street clothes instead of his orange jammies. Anyhow, say what you will about him, mad hippie Professor Katie Magoo still has his fan base. So far nearly 700 people have "liked" the comment above, and there are more than 200 comments, many of them supportive (though more dissenters are showing up). Here's a permalink to the thread.

My guy Ron, quoting a news article about the upcoming trial, wrote this on Facebook:

In their pleas for mercy, Trudeau's lawyers say Trudeau “is a man who has consistently displayed kindness” and “generosity.”

Kind enough to go through his entire teen & adult life bilking people out of their money. Generous enough to foist Coldwell upon a trusting public. Give him 10 years and a very tight leash for life.

I don't necessarily agree with a ten-year sentence, but everything else Ron said in that comment is spot on.

The government sentencing memorandum I linked to above, and on my previous post, notes that Trudeau...

...preys upon the sick who want to be made healthy, the poor who want to become rich, and the insecure who want to feel better about themselves. He exploits consumers’ insecurities and weaknesses, promising them an easy fix for whatever hurts or embarrasses them.

True enough, Feds. But... duh... the same could be said of just about every Scamworld guru, including some of Trudeau's present and past cohorts who are still running free and filing frivolous lawsuits. This isn't to dismiss the egregiousness of Trudeau's offenses at all. I'm just making an observation.

As for Katie's sentence, I'm told that the smart money is still on two to five, but I'm not a betting woman, and I have given up trying to make predictions... except, of course, for my usual prediction that there will be no neat and tidy endings. 

PS added 16 March 2014: Katie gets proactive, apparently having been informed that some emails will be read in court that reveal the real Katie. This is from earlier today:

Kevin Trudeau news: Banjo David comes out of hiding, and government issues sentencing memo

Now, here's some good news. My friend Julie Daniel just noticed this today. The guy that many of us have known for a few years only as "Banjo David" has finally revealed his full name on now-jailed serial scammer Kevin Trudeau's public Facebook page. He is one David G. Bragman of Chicago, a recording engineer, bluegrass musician, radio host, and teacher of banjo, guitar, singing and sound recording. Go, David!

I had mentioned Banjo David on my blog a few years ago (see Addendum 19 July 2011); I linked to and quoted his 2010 post on The Straight Dope board. Over the past year or so, several of us on Facebook have linked to the same post.

Under the thread, "Did you spread your cheeks for Kevin Trudeau?" Banjo David wrote a "public apology," relating his experiences with Trudeau at motivational info-product purveyor Nightingale-Conant way back in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

On March 10, David copied and pasted his old comment on Trudeau's Facebook page. See the screen shot above (as usual, click to enlarge). Here is the direct link, which is good at this time, but you never know if and when it will be taken down:
https://www.facebook.com/TheKevinTrudeau/posts/636421049744287

And here again is the link to David's original (2010) comment on The Straight Dope.
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=554566

Although David's story hasn't varied between that 2010 comment and the one he posted two days ago -- except for the fact that he updated the number of years since he got "sh-t-canned" from Nightingale-Conant, -- you can see that some diehard Katie fans are claiming that he is just making it up, and they won't believe it till others come forth. Till others come forth?!? Um.... that train left the station long ago.

David, if you want to share your thoughts on this Whirled, feel free to do so. I've been writing about your old not-friend Katie for more than five years now. Or drop me an email at the address listed at the top of this page. Or just join the conversation on Facebook at GIN Network Truth.

I know that a lot of people will be interested in what you have to say.

And by the way, I love banjo music.


Meanwhile, in court... gummit asks for a min of ten
Here is a link to the latest document (plus exhibits) from Kevin Trudeau's criminal contempt case.

The actual pre-sentence investigation report is still sealed but this document, filed on March 10, 2014, is the government's Sentencing Memorandum. It recommends that Trudeau be sentenced to at least ten years in prison, based upon legal sentencing guidelines. Remember that it is still up to Judge Ronald Guzman to make this decision, however. Sentencing will be this coming Monday, March 17, at 2:00 PM.

The main document gives a good summary of Trudeau's misdeeds, but the exhibits -- particularly the emails from his former partner Donald Barrett -- are very revealing. I still think that if Katie is going to be caged, Barrett deserves it too, but then, so do many of Trudeau's other cohorts and former cohorts. But I guess that's not my call to make.

Kevin Trudeau: Slammer overkill, and a chance for Loony Coldwell to eat his words (though he probably won't)

 
This isn't your ordinary scammer-in-the-slammer tale. As most who are following this case know by now, serial scammer Kevin Trudeau got a double whammy after Judge Robert Gettleman signed an order November 21 to incarcerate Katie in the matter of his civil contempt charge. Judge Gettleman snarkily noted that if the court-appointed receivers want to talk to Katie some more about his hidden assets, "they'll know where to find him."

Now, to some this "second incarceration" may seem like overkill. After all, Trudeau is already in custody awaiting sentencing after being convicted of criminal contempt on November 12, in the court of Judge Ronald Guzman. So now he is being held on two separate cases, the civil and the criminal. To slightly misquote an old saying, "If I were any worse, there'd have to be two of me." But there's only one Kevin to do jail time for both offenses.

It appears that the almost endlessly patient Judge Gettleman finally grew tired of dealing with Katie after years and years and years of hearing the latter's excuses. Moreover, his order clearly states that this incarceration is a separate matter and that the time spent in custody for the civil case will not cut any time from the criminal sentence, whatever that may be. (Currently, sentencing for the criminal conviction is scheduled for February 6, 2014.)

Here is the link to Judge Gettleman's November 21 order.

For all practical purposes the order cages Katie indefinitely -- until and unless he can purge himself of the civil contempt matter by either paying the $37.6 million fine or by convincing the court that he honestly does not have the funds to do so. The latter scenario -- True-dough convincing the powers-that-be that he is truly OUT of dough -- appears increasingly unlikely. Judge Gettleman noted that Trudeau has been caught in several lies already and that there's no more reason NOT to incarcerate him to force cooperation with the receiver. Previously the judge gave Katie a little leeway so he could prepare for his criminal trial. The judge agreed with Katie's attorneys that this could probably be done more efficiently with Katie out of the clink.

But that trial has come and gone, so that reasoning won't fly anymore.

No doubt other matters were discussed at the November 21 hearing. After all, that was the day that the receiver was supposed to present a big invoice to the court, and the day that Katie's fairly-recently appointed tax attorneys were supposed to appear and tell the court that the receiver had not been cooperating in giving Katie access to records he needs in order to prepare for an upcoming reaming by the IRS.

And then there's the matter of The Intervenors: Ohio GIN member Perry Kiraly and a couple dozen other folks who are trying to hold up the civil case stagecoach and wrest ownership of the remains of GIN from the court or the receiver or whomever. Presumably Perry's part of the case will at least be discussed in the court (either in open court or otherwise) before it gets summarily dismissed. And then there's the matter of another threatened lawsuit by the Loony Lenny Coldwell contingent, another effort to squeeze every drop of money from GIN before it gets shut down totally. I wrote about some of that on this recent blog post. In short, there are vultures and hyenas circling all about the twitching remains of the Global Information Network.

Anyway, I'll have info on additional court papers as soon as they show up.

For now, Kevin Trudeau is indisputably in a cage, and there's no telling when he will get out. He still has scads of fans and supporters, and judging from some of the comments on Facebook, a few of them haven't been following the news very well and are shocked that he's behind bars. A few of his minions are posting sappy gunk to the "official" Kevin Trudeau Facebook page, in order to keep the troops encouraged (and perhaps to lay the groundwork for Katie's next scam).

Some say that Trudeau's exceedingly loyal longtime friend, business partner, fellow litigant and ex-girlfriend Janine Nubani Contursi is writing the posts, which contain numerous spelling errors and are variations on the same theme: All is well, this is an amazing experience for Trudeau, and he will emerge from the slammer stronger than ever. Whoever is writing them (it almost certainly is not Katie himself), it's all crap, of course -- at least the "all is well" part, because word has it that being in jail, particularly if you don't know when you'll ever get out, sucks no matter how you slice it. And I suspect that even Kevin's most devoted and gullible fans know at some level that he wishes he were just about anywhere except the slammer.

Once again I'll say that I don't think caging a scammer like Trudeau = justice. In general, I simply don't like the idea of caging someone who is not a violent offender (and in the category of "violent offenders" I include serial sex offenders such as some ex-KT b.f.f.s are alleged to be). But for better or for worse, throwing Trudeau into jail is within the law.

The big burning question I have is this: Will Loony Lenny Coldwell, Katie's ex b.f.f. and GIN's former alt-health spokes-liar, have to eat the words he spewed out this past September when Judge Gettleman failed to incarcerate Katie and refused to shut down GIN on that very day? Has Loony changed his mind about the judge being (a) corrupt and paid off; (b) old and incompetent; (c) afraid; (d) gay with the hots for Kevin Trudeau; or (e) all of the above?

Loony isn't much for eating his own words, and I've never known him to admit he was wrong about anything. The only thing of which we can be certain is that he will continue to milk these latest developments by trying to pull more people into his IMBS-ing U Master Baiter's scam (for "anti-brainwashing" sessions), and trying to get people to come to his idiotic party in Florida in December. (Already the event is free for pretty much anyone who wants to show up.)

But the little man's efforts will be mostly in vain, for Loony will almost certainly never enjoy anything remotely like the level of devotion and loyalty that Kevin Trudeau -- however misguided many of us may think the True-doughnuts are -- has managed to earn over the years. And if by some miracle of legal and poetic justice Loony gets thrown in the slammer himself one day, I doubt that many people will weep the way they are now surely weeping (despite those all-is-well Facebook posts) for Kevin Trudeau.

• Omri at Glancingweb weighs in on Katie behind bars: http://www.glancingweb.com/2568/the-shawshank-trudemption
• Aaaand.... here's Bernie at GINtruth: http://gintruth.com/gnt/wpver/?p=1955

* * * * *

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Hello from the hoosegow! Wish you were here (instead of me)!

There's nothing like putting a positive spin on things. A cheery dispatch appeared on serial scammer Kevin Trudeau's "official" Facebook page a little after noon, Central Time today (Tuesday, November 19, 2013). Trudeau, as you probably know, is being held in custody, pending sentencing for his criminal contempt conviction.

Here's the permalink of Katie's cheerful message, for those who can get to it.

And up there is the screen shot, for those who can't, or who just don't feel like Facebooking right now. Click to enlarge, of course.*
 
Thanks to my ever-vigilant friend Omri Shabat of the Glancingweb blog for finding this.

Ya know, Katie sure spent a lot of money on lawyers to "create" this path that will take him to where he wants to go. Why didn't he just eliminate the middle man and hop on into that cell when they first wanted to throw him there? Why did he beg the judge for mercy on numerous occasions? Why, when given a brief reprieve in order to travel to the Washington D.C. area in October for a legal fundraiser, did he tell the media, "Obviously, I'm glad not to be in jail?"

I don't get it.

But the responses to the Facebook post show he still has his passionate fans and followers (who will not question the disconnect between today's statements and previous behavior). They also show that he's earning more martyr creds, as I have been predicting for... well, for years. He is truly the First Amendment Stuporhero, as someone wrote back in August 2011. He is becoming more and more Nelson Mandela-like... why, perhaps even Christ-like!... in the eyes of some of those followers.

And I can just imagine him (and/or the minions) planning a whole new line of scams -- maybe targeted to the caged population (which, as my pal Mike pointed out, is growing, particularly in the United States). It's a whole new untapped market! Forget the New-Wagers; here come the New-Cagers. Viva Las Cages! (We do know that he has already promised to write the book to end all books re government tyranny, in the event of his imprisonment. He mentioned it again in a video just this past June, as noted on this blog post.) 

True-dough's minion has written a few more posts since the one I shared above. It's all along the same theme: all is well, I am having the most amazing experience, all will be revealed in the fullness of time, blah blah blah. And the "likes" and loving responses are flooding in (it's also surprising how many of the fans seem to have no clue of the whole incarceration thing). Here are some responses from a later post. Note the woman who says she has shrines to the great Katie -- something that's not as unusual as it might sound to some of you, given the deep seated human desire to worship:

At any rate, I so wanted to comment on that "official" Kevin Trudeau Facebook page, so I "liked" it, but gosh, for some reason I am blocked from commenting. Just like I'm blocked from commenting on (though not from seeing) the IBMS Master's Society official Facebook page, run by two ex-cronies of Katie, Mocktor Loony Lenny Coldwell and Peter Wink, who were probably responsible for more GIN scamming between them than just about any other person except Katie and a select few other cronies.

I guess there are some people who just do not want to hear from Cosmic Connie. Maybe I'll send Katie a postcard. As for the IMBS-ing U folks, they have free access to my Whirled so they don't need no stinkin' postcard. Hugs, ya'll!

PS ~ Just to put things in perspective: I still, despite my snarking, do not believe Trudeau belongs in a cage, and despite his own positive spin, you know and I know that Federal prisons are no Club Fed. Those days are gone. Thanks again to my pal Mike for pointing out this article, which drives that reality home. Also keep in mind that Trudeau has not been officially sentenced yet, and depending upon what happens with the post-trial motions, he isn't necessarily in a cage for the long haul.

* I should clarify that unless he has special privileges (which is very unlikely), I do not believe Trudeau is writing these hokey Facebook updates himself, any more than convicted killer and star of The Secret James Arthur Ray was writing his own promotional crap when he was behind bars (among other things, as reported here, Ray had his people send out emails pushing Your Wish Is Your Command and GIN). But somebody is clearly doing it on Katie's behalf, with or without his blessings. And the posts that are now appearing on that Facebook page are very much congruent with his practice (and for that matter most feel-good gurus' and cult leaders' practice) of pretending that "all is well." Of course the gurus could never pull it off without an army of enablers. In any case, for reasons both financial and emotional, it behooves Trudeau and his remaining supporters to put a positive spin on things in order to keep "the legend" alive. (And do not underestimate the potential payoff; keep in mind that entire religions have been started on far less.)

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