'Cures they don't want you to know about' pitchman, Trudeau, convicted; finally, someone finds 'words mean things'
From StandWithKT.com
Kevin Trudeau made millions telling U.S. consumers he was an outsider sharing secrets the government or corporations "don't want you to know."
The famous late-night pitchman appears to have been silenced now. He was found guilty of contempt of court on Tuesday after a week-long trial in a Chicago courtroom and immediately taken into custody. He is scheduled to be sentenced in February.
Trudeau spent years trying to say one step ahead of federal authorities and one inch on the right side of the law. That became part of his charm, and his pitch, in fact -- he spent a lot of time telling consumers that the U.S. government was actively trying to suppress his message. The appeals worked. Trudeau sold millions of books.
He also amassed $37 million in fines. Back in 2004, as part of a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission over allegations that he misled consumers, Trudeau agreed to stop selling health-related products. The agreement left him with this narrow exception: he could sell books about health care products. He sold a lot of them. By 2005, "Natural Cures They Don't Want You to Know About," was a runaway best-seller. At the time, Trudeau claimed 4 million in sales. The book inspired a whole series of "don't want you to know about" cures to common maladies, such as debt.
The books also generated loyalty, controversy, and complaints. In 2005, the New York State Consumer Protection Board issued a scathing report claiming that Trudeau's book did not deliver on its promise of simple cures. Among the criticisms: The book jacket at the time included a quote from a Food and Drug Administration official, who seemed to be endorsing the book, but who died three years before its publication. In many cases, the book simply directed readers to Trudeau's website, where they were sold on monthly subscriptions to learn more health cures. (I wrote extensively on this at the time.)
Soon after, the FTC convinced a federal judge to fine Trudeau for misrepresenting the contents of the book. By 2009, the fine had increased to $37 million.
But Trudeau also had supporters; Internet message boards are full of consumers who say his methods cured them of various ailments. According to the Chicago Tribune, about two dozen supporters turned out to support Trudeau at the trial. Many clutched his books in their arms.
Infomercials were made for Trudeau, and vice versa. He elevated the late-night pitch to an art form. Watch his pitches from a distance, and you can't help but admire the production values and sales techniques. Turning the heat up on Trudeau only seemed to fuel his fire. It would be a mistake to think this conviction and incarceration means the end of his career. He's been there before, in the 1990s, when he served time for credit card fraud.
At another time, Trudeau would have hawked talking gorillas in a traveling zoo while selling snake oil, and perhaps been relatively harmless. His ability to separate people from their money scaled wildly as he recognized the magical combination of infomercials and the Internet. His basic legal defense, which loosely translates into an absolute right to free speech, gives any fair person pause. How different are Trudeau's sale pitches from advertisements we hear all the time on TV, on radio, on websites? (By the way, if you have a problem with ads here, let me know.)
That's what Trudeau's lawyer argued anyway. And beneath it all, I know what some of you are thinking: If people want to pay someone for something they really think makes them healthier, who are we to stop them?
The FTC, however, prevailed with this simple argument:
"Words mean things."
That's what Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc Krickbaum said. He continued: "If he had said what was truly in the book, he would have sold a lot fewer books. That's why he chose to lie about it."
Yes, words do mean things. And saying words has consequences. This is a bedrock concept of civilization. Among the casualties of our time is the concept you hear all over the news that politicians "misspeak." The legal profession spends most of its time these days redefining the meaning of words after they are said. As a writer, I deeply abhor this practice, and you should, too.
You can imagine Trudeau is sitting in his cell right now, repeating over and over to himself, "But everyone does it." You can almost understand why Trudeau might be confused.
Almost.
But rather than indulge in Philosophy 101 about what is and isn't lying, let's hope this result signals a renewed vigor in prosecutions about alleged deceptive advertising.