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Kevin Mark Trudeau
Born	(1963-02-06) February 6, 1963 (age 61) Lynn, Massachusetts, USA
Occupation	Author
Known for	"Alternative health" products; the International Pool Tour; disputes with the FTC

Kevin Mark Trudeau (born February 6, 1963) is an American author, infomercial salesman, radio personality and advocate of alternative medicine. He is best known for a number of controversial television infomercials promoting his products, and for several books including Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You to Know About; according to Trudeau, the US Food and Drug Administration and pharmaceutical companies are more interested in profits than cures. In 2005, he founded the International Pool Tour.

Trudeau has been embroiled in a number of civil suits and misdemeanor and felony criminal cases. He was convicted of larceny and credit card fraud in the early 1990s, and in 1998 paid a $500,000 fine for making false or misleading claims in his infomercials. In 2004 he agreed to a lifetime ban on promoting products via infomercials, excluding his books.

Early life

Trudeau grew up in Lynn, Massachusetts, United States, the adopted son of Robert and Mary Trudeau. He attended St. Mary's High School in Lynn, where he was voted "Most Likely to Succeed" by the class of 1981.

Career

After serving prison time for fraud in the early 1990s, Trudeau and a fellow inmate whom he met in prison joined Nutrition for Life, a multi-level marketing firm, where they were successful. He and his partner were sued by the Illinois Attorney General for running a pyramid scheme. Trudeau and his company entered into a settlement with Illinois and seven other states for U$185,000.

Trudeau then produced and appeared in infomercials, broadcast frequently on late night TV in North America and promoted a range of products, including health aids, dietary supplements (such as coral calcium), real estate investment strategies, memory-improvement courses, baldness remedies, addiction breaking strategies, and reading improvement programs, among others. The claims made resulted in regulatory actions by the FTC, based on his alleged misrepresentations and unsubstantiated claims. In 1998, he was fined, and in 2004 Trudeau settled an FTC contempt-of-court action by agreeing to a settlement that banned him from using infomercials to promote products, except for those publications protected by the First Amendment. He also agreed to pay a $2 million settlement.

Trudeau began writing various books and promoting them with infomercials including Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You to Know About published in 2005. After criticism that the book did not contain any natural cures promised in his infomercials (Trudeau said he was not able to include them because of threats from the FTC), Trudeau released an updated version of the original book. He then published a book titled More Natural Cures Revealed: Previously Censored Brand Name Products That Cure Disease (ISBN 0-9755995-4-2). According to Trudeau, the book contains the names of actual brand name products that will cure myriad illnesses. In both books, Trudeau made claims such as animals in the wild rarely develop degenerative disease such as cancer or Alzheimer's and that many diseases are caused by an imbalance of vital energy, not viruses or bacteria. Science writer Christopher Wanjek criticized many of these arguments in his July 25, 2006, LiveScience health column, pointing out theories that sick animals get eaten by predators. Trudeau next published The Weight-Loss Cure "They" Don't Want You to Know About in 2007. Trudeau's most recent publication, titled Debt Cures "They" Don't Want You to Know About, promises to reveal secret tips and methods consumers can use to eliminate their debt.

Trudeau's books have sold well. Natural Cures was listed in September 2005 by the New York Times as the number-one-selling current nonfiction book in the United States for 25 weeks, and has sold more than five million copies.

Trudeau launched a self-titled Internet radio talk show in February 2009. It also airs on several small radio stations consisting of mostly brokered programming.

Publications

Natural Cures “They” Don’t Want You to Know About

In the self-published book, Trudeau says there are "all-natural" cures for serious illnesses, including cancer, herpes, arthritis, AIDS, acid reflux disease, various phobias, obesity, multiple sclerosis, lupus, chronic fatigue syndrome, attention deficit disorder, and muscular dystrophy, and that these cures (which include apple cider vinegar, coconut oil, consuming dietary supplements, such as calcium, eating organic food, cleanses and detoxification, such as colonic irrigation, use of a rebounder, colloidal silver, Dianetics (a practice of Scientology) and other treatments) are being deliberately hidden from the public of the United States in order to protect the profits of drug companies. The book itself directs readers to Trudeau's subscription-only website. Among his claims are that sunscreen, not ultraviolet radiation, cause cancer, that antiperspirants and deodorants contain aluminum (a toxin), that AIDS is a hoax and that chemotherapy is more dangerous than cancer.

The consumer protection website Quackwatch analyzed a transcript of the infomercial used to sell the book and said the claims were fraudulent and misleading. Other doctors have expressed serious concerns that the book's instructions, such as stopping all medication and refusing vaccinations, are not only misleading but harmful. Some of the claims in the book are disputed, such as the claim for a "natural cure" for diabetes that was researched at the University of Calgary. The University insists that "there have been no human studies conducted at the University of Calgary in the past 20 years on herbal remedies for diabetes."

The New York State Consumer Protection Board issued a 2005 warning that the book contains no actual cures, merely "page after page after page of pure speculation." The Board also stated that consumers have complained that the book is merely an advertisement for Trudeau's website and newsletter, at a cost of $71 per month. The book also contains a dustcover endorsement from former FDA commissioner Herbert Ley, who died several years before the book was published. A spokesperson for the Board stated that "The hypocrisy surrounding this book and its advertisements is galling because people with real illnesses are being misled...This book and its marketing machine are a cynical attempt by Mr. Trudeau to cash in on his legal troubles with the federal government." Another posting by the Board stated that Trudeau was selling the information provided by those who order the book to junk mailers, telemarketers and other direct marketers. Trudeau's website lacks a privacy policy, and thus customers are not made aware of Trudeau's use of their information. Customers have also reported being charged $71 per month without their consent for Trudeau's newsletter, as well as problems with refunds, and only being able to access Trudeau's company for a refund through a long-distance call rather than the toll-free line used to purchase products.

More Natural “Cures” Revealed

In May 2006, Trudeau self-published More Natural "Cures" Revealed: Previously Censored Brand Name Products That Cure Disease. This book responded to complaints that its earlier version did not actually contain any cures but pointed consumers to his subscription website. In More Natural "Cures" Revealed, Trudeau says that workers at the FDA and FTC want to censor him and, figuratively, burn his books. In his review of the book for LiveScience.com science writer Christopher Wanjek described this as "a fascinating cross between a health book, fictitious novel, and a paranoid, hate-filled rant along the lines of 'Mein Kampf.'"

The Weight Loss Cure “They” Don't Want You to Know About

In April 2007, Trudeau released The Weight Loss Cure "They" Don't Want You to Know About. The book describes a three-phase multi-month plan originally made famous by British endocrinologist A.T.W. Simeons in the 1950s. The first phase involves switching to all organic foods with repeated colonic and liver cleansing. This is followed by a second-phase period of daily hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) injections under the direction of a health care provider. In phase three, use of hCG stops, but food must continue to be 100 percent organic. Other recommended activities include walking an hour a day or more and doing breathing exercises.

Critics say that as early as 1962, the Journal of the American Medical Association warned against the Simeons Diet. In 1976, the FTC ordered clinics and promoters of the Simeons Diet and hCG to inform prospective patients that there had not been "substantial evidence" to conclude hCG offered any benefit above that achieved on a restricted calorie diet. Clinical research trials published by the Journal of the American Medical Association and the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition have shown that hCG is ineffective as a weight-loss aid, citing "no statistically significant difference in the means of the two groups" and that "HCG [sic] does not appear to enhance the effectiveness of a rigidly imposed regimen for weight reduction."

The FTC has filed a contempt-of-court action against Trudeau alleging that the alleged misrepresentations in the book violate a 2004 consent order.

Debt Cures “They” Don't Want You to Know About

Debt Cures was published in 2007 and has been marketed on television. Chuck Jaffee, a columnist at CBS MarketWatch, stated: "Truth be told, most of the information is readily available in personal finance columns you can find online or in books that are readily available in your local library." Trudeau says that if readers disagree with items on their credit reports, they can dispute them as identity theft, identified as the "magic cure" in the book.

The Money-Making Secrets “They” Don't Want You to Know About

Published in 2009, the book says it gives tools on how to use the Law of Attraction to manifest readers' desires. The book also says it contains key links to using the Law of Attraction that are missing in other publications. Among the claims made in the book's infomercial is Trudeau's assertion to have virtually flunked out of high school. He also says he was "taken in" by a mysterious group called "The Brotherhood" that taught him the secrets that he is now widely announcing in his book. There is also an invitation at the conclusion of the series to join a "Global Information Network", claimed to be an exclusive group of "highly influential, affluent, and freedom-orientated people from various business, social and economic sectors" who offer advice to its members. The group operates out of the country of Nevis and employs the Law of Attraction as its principle wealth generator, a concept regarded by most in the scientific community as at-best pseudoscience.

Media interviews

Trudeau has been interviewed by CNN's Paula Zahn, Matt Lauer of NBC's Today Show, and Harry Smith of CBS's The Early Show. Trudeau was also the subject of investigative reports done by Inside Edition, ABC's 20/20 and Dateline NBC. The 20/20 segment highlighted a Nightline interview with Jake Tapper in which Trudeau misrepresented the money he was forced to pay to the government, the charges filed against them and the reason the government did not follow-through with charges, and claiming ignorance when the claims made in his book were called false by Tapper.

During interviews, Trudeau has often said that the television program in which he is being interviewed is "owned" by the drug companies. In some cases Trudeau has told his supporters, via his newsletters, that he has been "attacked" on a particular program or by a particular interviewer.

Infomercials

Trudeau was a prolific producer of infomercials. He stipulated to an FTC ban applying to everything except publications that the FTC concluded would infringe upon his First Amendment rights. All of his recent infomercials advertise his books Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You To Know About and The Weight Loss Cure. Notable co-hosts have included Leigh Valentine (former wife of televangelist Robert Tilton) and the late Tammy Faye Messner.

Pharmaceutical companies

Trudeau says that pharmaceutical companies "don't want us to get well" because curing disease is not nearly as profitable as treating it in perpetuity. According to Trudeau, the corporate profit motive overrides the human desire to truly help people.

Trudeau says that natural treatments cannot be patented and are not profitable enough to justify spending hundreds of millions of dollars in testing, so they will always lack FDA approval. Trudeau uses herpes as an example, saying that people with herpes must buy an expensive drug for the rest of their lives. He says that if there were a cheap, easy cure for herpes, the FDA and pharmaceutical companies would not want the population to know about it because corporate profits would suffer.

He cites the number of advertisements on television for prescription drugs and points out that prescription drugs should be advertised to doctors, not to the general public.

He states in one infomercial that there are twelve known cures for cancer but that they are being kept from the general public by the FDA, the FTC, and the pharmaceutical companies. He also says that the FDA and the FTC are two of the most corrupt organizations in America and that there is a long list of chemical ingredients that are secretly not required to be on the FDA ingredients label that are damaging to human health.

Trudeau offers a conspiracy theory, saying that the drug industry and the FDA work with each other to effectively deceive the public by banning all-natural cures in order to protect the profits of the drug industry. Trudeau says that FDA commissioners who leave the FDA to work for large drug companies are paid millions of dollars. In any other industry, according to Trudeau, this would be called "bribery," a "conflict of interest" or "payoffs." Trudeau also says in his infomercials that the food industry includes chemicals (such as MSG and aspartame) to get people "addicted to food" and to "make people obese."

Trudeau has also declared that he will lead a crusade against the FDA and the FTC and will make an effort to sue companies who promote false claims in advertising, such as leading pharmaceutical companies.

References to scientific studies

One of the major complaints about Trudeau's infomercials is that he makes only vague references to scientific studies, making them impossible to cross-check for accuracy. The same criticism exists for the anecdotal evidence he presents in the infomercials. He does not mention names of people who have been cured by his methods. For example, he tells a story in an infomercial about "a friend from England" who came to his house and complained of heartburn. He also references a study done on the antidepressant qualities of St. John's Wort compared to two prescription medications. He claims that the media reported St. John's Wort was "proven ineffective in study," but critics say that none of the medicines tested were effective at combating depression.

Critics say that by not referencing studies to substantiate claims, Trudeau risks a conflict with the FTC. The infomercials suggest that these subjects will be addressed further in the book, but this is not the case. Readers of his book are often referred to his fee-based subscription website to find Trudeau's suggested natural cures.

Newspaper article

A 2005 Associated Press article by Candice Choi on the infomercials elaborates on the success and problems of the programs. Choi says that by repeatedly mentioning government sanctions against him, Trudeau "anticipated any backlash with his cuckoo conspiracy theory" and can partially deflect any criticism of him or his infomercials. Trudeau's use of the word "cure" is an issue for regulators. Also, bookstores are polled on their decisions to sell or not sell a successful and controversial self-published book.

Additional marketing ventures

Audio tapes: “Mega Memory”

Trudeau says he adapted techniques used to improve the memory of the blind and the mentally challenged to create Advanced Mega Memory and Mega Memory audio tapes. His promotion of memory-enhancing products was stopped by the intervention of the Federal Trade Commission which determined that the claims made by Trudeau were false and programs involved would not enable users to achieve a "photographic memory", as the advertising claimed.

Non-surgical face lift

In addition to Natural Cures, Trudeau also hosted an infomercial that features the "Perfect Lift" non-surgical face lift. In the United Kingdom, this infomercial was found to violate the ITC advertising rules.

In 2008, Trudeau began airing another infomercial, for a product called Firmalift, with Leigh Valentine.

Trudeau partners with Donald Barrett and ITV Direct

On September 11, 2006, Donald Barrett and ITV Direct, a direct marketing company based in Beverly, Massachusetts, announced that they had partnered with Trudeau to market both of his Natural Cures books. Trudeau also worked with ITV to create ITV Ventures, a new MLM group based out of ITV's home office. As of December 2006, ITV Direct has pulled all information concerning both this partnership and Trudeau's books from its corporate website; however, the infomercials have continued to run as of April 14, 2008.

International Pool Tour

Trudeau founded the International Pool Tour (IPT), with some of the largest purses and prizes given out in billiards. The IPT was unable to pay prize money from a 2006 tournament in Reno, Nevada, which The New York Times reported had a crushing effect on the pool community as a whole.

Legal proceedings

In connection with his promotional activities he has had a felony conviction and has been an unsuccessful defendant in several Federal Trade Commission (FTC) lawsuits. Trudeau has been charged several times by agencies of the United States government for making claims without evidence. In these cases Trudeau signed a consent decree in which he did not plead guilty but did agree to stop making the claims and to pay a fine. Trudeau subsequently began to sell books, which are protected by the First Amendment. His change of modus operandi has been explained thus:

"Certainly pitchman Kevin Trudeau learned this lesson years ago. After serving a 2-year federal prison sentence for credit card fraud he changed course. He's since made far more money stealing from the gullible using phony self-help programs and books than he ever did as a common forger... Kevin learned a valuable lesson: outright stealing--doing things like forging checks and stealing credit card numbers might get you locked up--but dressing up a pyramid scheme to look like a legitimate business will probably only get you sued."

Trudeau was convicted of fraud and larceny in the early 1990s. The FTC has sued him repeatedly and keeps an extensive record of its conflicts with him. A court order currently restricts his ability to promote and sell any product or service; however, he is permitted to promote books and other publications due to free-speech protection under the First Amendment as long as they are not used to promote or sell products or services and do not contain misrepresentations. On November 19, 2007, a court found Trudeau in contempt of that court order for making what they consider deceptive claims about his book The Weight Loss Cure "They" Don't Want You to Know About. In August 2008, he was fined more than $5 million and banned from infomercials for three years for continuing to make fraudulent claims pertaining to the book. The amount of the monetary damages was later increased to $37 million.

1990-1991: Larceny and credit card fraud

In 1990, Trudeau posed as a doctor in order to deposit $80,000 in false checks, and in 1991 he pleaded guilty to larceny. Trudeau had used the credit cards of eleven customers of a mega memory product to fraudulently charge approximately $122,735.68. He spent two years in federal prison because of this conviction (Choi, 2005). Later, in his book Natural Cures, Trudeau claimed that he has since learned from his experience, and is now motivated to help people rather than merely make money for himself.

1996: SEC and various states

Trudeau began working for Nutrition For Life, a multi-level marketing program, in the mid-1990s. In 1996, his recruitment practices were cited by the states of Illinois and Michigan, as well as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Illinois sued Trudeau and Jules Leib, his partner, accusing them of operating an illegal pyramid scheme. They settled with Illinois and seven other states for $185,000 after agreeing to change their tactics. Michigan forbade him from operating in the state. A class action lawsuit was filed by stockholders of Nutrition for Life for violations of Texas law, including misrepresenting and/or omitting material information about Nutrition for Life International, Inc.'s business. In August 1997, the company paid $2 million in cash to common stockholders and holders of warrants during the class period to settle the case. The company also paid the plaintiffs' attorney fees of $600,000.

1998: FTC fine

In 1998, Trudeau was fined $500,000, the funds to be used for consumer redress by the FTC, relating to six infomercials he had produced and in which the FTC determined he had made false or misleading claims. These infomercials included "Hair Farming," "Mega Memory System," "Addiction Breaking System," "Action Reading," "Eden's Secret," and "Mega Reading." The products included a "hair farming system" that was supposed to "finally end baldness in the human race," and "a breakthrough that in 60 seconds can eliminate" addictions, discovered when a certain "Dr. Callahan" was "studying quantum physics."

2004: FTC contempt of court and injunction

In June 2003, the FTC filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against Trudeau and some of his companies (Shop America (USA), LLC; Shop America Marketing Group, LLC; and Trustar Global Media, Limited), alleging that disease-related claims for Coral Calcium Supreme were false and unsubstantiated. In July 2003, Trudeau entered into a stipulated preliminary injunction that prohibited him from continuing to make the challenged claims for Coral Calcium Supreme and Biotape.

In the summer of 2004, the court found Trudeau in contempt of court for violating the preliminary injunction, because he had sent out a direct mail piece and produced an infomercial making prohibited claims. The court ordered Trudeau to cease all marketing for coral calcium products.

In September 2004, Trudeau agreed to pay $2 million ($500,000 in cash plus transfer of residential property located in Ojai, California, and a luxury vehicle) to settle charges that he falsely claimed that a coral calcium product can cure cancer and other serious diseases and that a purported analgesic called Biotape can permanently cure or relieve severe pain. He also agreed to a lifetime ban on promoting products using infomercials, but excluded restrictions to promote his books via infomercials. Trudeau was the only person ever banned by the FTC from selling a product via television. Lydia Parnes, speaking for the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection stated "This ban is meant to shut down an infomercial empire that has misled American consumers for years." Trudeau claimed the government was trying to discredit his book because he was "exposing them."

2005: Trudeau v. FTC

On February 28, 2005, Trudeau filed a complaint against the FTC in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia seeking declaratory and injunctive relief. Trudeau also filed a motion for preliminary injunction, which the court denied.

The complaint charged that the FTC had retaliated against him for his criticism of the agency by issuing a press release that falsely characterized and intentionally and deliberately misrepresented the 2004 Final Order. That conduct, Trudeau asserted, exceeded the FTC's authority under 15 U.S.C. § 46(f) and violated the First Amendment. The FTC responded with a motion to dismiss the complaint for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(1), and for failure to state a claim for which relief can be granted under Rule 12(b)(6).

The district court granted the FTC's motion to dismiss. First, the court concluded that it lacked subject-matter jurisdiction because the press release was not "a 'final agency action'" under “section 704 of the ”, 5 U.S.C. § 704. Second, the court held, "in the alternative, that Trudeau’s claims failed to state a viable cause of action as a matter of law."

Trudeau later filed an appeal which was unsuccessful in reversing the court's ruling.

2005: Trudeau v. New York Consumer Protection Board

Trudeau filed a lawsuit on August 11, 2005, accusing the New York State Consumer Protection Board of violating his First Amendment rights by contacting television stations in New York state and urging them to pull Trudeau's infomercials promoting his book Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You to Know About. Trudeau won a temporary restraining order on September 6, 2005 prohibiting the Board from sending letters to the television stations. The temporary restraining order was replaced by a preliminary injunction. However, Trudeau lost a motion to have the Board send a "corrective letter" to the television stations and subsequently dropped all claims for monetary damages. The case is still in litigation.

2007: FTC contempt of court action

The FTC filed a contempt of court action against Trudeau and the companies that market The Weight Loss Cure 'They' Don't Want You to Know About, alleging that Trudeau was in contempt of a 2004 court order by "deceptively claiming in his infomercials that the book being advertised establishes a weight-loss protocol that is 'easy' to follow." The action was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on September 17, 2007. According to an FTC press release, Trudeau has claimed that the weight loss plan outlined in the book is easy, can be done at home, and readers can eat anything they want. When consumers buy the book, they find it describes a complex plan that requires intense dieting, daily injections of a prescribed drug that is not easily obtainable, and lifelong dietary restrictions.

On November 19, 2007, Trudeau was found in contempt of the 2004 court order for "patently false" claims in his weight loss book. U.S. District Court Judge Robert W. Gettleman ruled that Trudeau "clearly misrepresents in his advertisements the difficulty of the diet described in his book, and by doing so, he has misled thousands of consumers." On August 7, 2008, Gettleman issued an order that Trudeau was not to appear in infomercials for any product in which he has any interest, for three years from the date of the order; and was to pay a penalty of $5,173,000, an estimate of the royalties received from the weight loss book. On November 4, 2008, Gettleman amended the judgment to $37,616,161, the amount consumers paid in response to the deceptive infomercials. The court denied Trudeau's request to reconsider or stay this ruling on December 11 of the same year.

Trudeau appealed the ruling to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit which upheld the contempt finding, but sent the case back to the lower court to explain the basis of the $37,616,161 damage finding and the three-year infomercial ban.

2010: Arrest on criminal contempt of court charge

On February 11, 2010, Trudeau was arrested and appeared in U.S. District Court before Gettleman for criminal contempt of court after he "asked his supporters to email the federal judge overseeing a pending civil case brought against him by the Federal Trade Commission." He was forced to turn over his passport, pay a $50,000 bond and was warned he could face future prison time for interfering with the direct process of the court. On February 17, Gettleman sentenced Trudeau to 30 days in jail and forfeiture of the $50,000 bond. Well-known critic of Trudeau, Stephen Barrett, the creator of Quackwatch.org, "has for years labeled Trudeau a fraud" and was quoted: "He struck me as somebody who (believes he) is omnipotent. That is, no one can touch him," Barrett said. "That’s almost been the case." Trudeau appealed the ruling and on May 20 the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals granted his motion, dismissing the contempt citation.

Other criticisms

No medical training

One common criticism by consumer groups is that Trudeau has had no medical training. Trudeau responds that by not having such training, he is not biased toward pharmaceutical companies and the FDA, and that medical doctors "are taught only how to write out prescriptions" for "poisons" and "cut out pieces of a person's anatomy."

No proof of claims

Trudeau has also been criticized for his inability to provide substantial evidence to back up many of his claims. Although he provides anecdotal evidence, he has not provided evidence that such customer claims have been evaluated by a licensed medical practitioner. As such, any claims made by Trudeau or his supporters that his book or other business endeavors have helped people cannot be verified and are based solely on testimonials. In instances where Trudeau has been asked to provide proof of his claims, he has misinterpreted medical studies or cited dubious or fictitious studies. For example, Trudeau cited a nonexistent 25-year research study involving a natural cure for diabetes at the University of Calgary. When Jake Tapper confronted him, Trudeau insisted that he had a copy of the study and would provide it, which he never did. He now claims on his infomercials that the University destroyed its findings to prevent reprisals from the pharmaceuticals industry.

False endorsements

In August 2005, the New York Consumer Protection Board warned consumers that Trudeau has used false claims of endorsements to promote his products, noting that the back cover of Natural Cures includes false endorsements. Further, the NYCPB states that Trudeau's television ads “give the false impression that Tammy Faye Messner opposes chemotherapy in favor of the ‘natural cures’ in Trudeau’s book.” A representative for Messner before her death from cancer said that was not true and that she was starting chemotherapy again.

The back cover includes the following quote from Dr. Herbert Ley, a former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration who died three years before the book was written: "The thing that bugs me is that people think the FDA is protecting them. It isn't. What the FDA is doing and what people think it's doing are as different as night and day." Trudeau's lawyer, David J. Bradford, says that this quote does not constitute a false endorsement of his book by Ley but rather is merely a statement that is in line with the purpose of his book.

Bibliography

• How to Make $10,000 per Month as a Certified Memory Master. American Memory Institute. (sound recording) 1990.
• How to Remember Everything in Your Past Nightingale-Conant Corporation (Niles, IL) (sound recording) 1991.
• Advanced Mega Memory Nightingale-Conant Corporation (Chicago, IL) (sound recording) 1992.
• Never Forget Another Name Nightingale-Conant Corporation (Chicago, IL) (video recording) 1992.
• The Trudeau Marketing Group Opportunity Trudeau Marketing Group. (video recording) 1995.
• Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory : How to Release Your Superpower Memory in 30 Minutes Or Less a Day. William Morrow & Co. (New York, NY) ISBN 9780688135829 1995.
• Lose 30 Pounds in 30 Days! The Weight Loss Secrets "They" Don't Want You to Know About. Alliance Pub. Group, Inc. (Elk Grove Village, IL) (sound recording) 2004.
• Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You to Know About. Alliance Pub. Group (Elk Grove Village, IL) ISBN 9780975599518 2004.
• More Natural "Cures" Revealed : Previously Censored Brand Name Products That Cure Disease. Alliance Pub. Group (Elk Grove Village, IL) ISBN 9780975599549 2006.
• The Weight Loss Cure "They" Don't Want You to Know About. Alliance Pub. (Elk Grove Village, IL) ISBN 9780978785154 2007.
• Debt Cures "They" Don't Want You to Know About. ISBN 9780979825804 2007.
• Recession Cures - Get Rich In Tough Times.
• Free Money "They" Don't Want You to Know About.

Footnotes

1. Trudeau, M &R (1991-09-12). "Letter by Robert and Mary Trudeau written to judge (pages 7-12)". The Smoking Gun. Retrieved 2009-11-20.
2. %5b%5bCategory:All articles with dead external links%5d%5d%5b%5bCategory:Articles with dead external links from May 2010%5d%5d "WHY MY SON WENT BAD; Trouble Began With Adoption, Self-Help Guru Says". Boston Herald. 2005-09-26. Archived from the original on 2008-03-16. Retrieved 2009-11-20. {{cite news}}: Check |archiveurl= value (help)
3. ^ Wait, There's More - Kevin Trudeau's 'Natural Cures,' Swallowed by Millions Without A Prescription, Washington Post, By Libby Copeland, October 23, 2005
4. ^ Ryan's Sweeping Settlement With Trudeau Protects Consumers & Nets $185,000 For Eight States Cagey Consumer website
5. ^ Assurance of Voluntary Compliance Dated 7/16/96 settlement agreement with Illinois re Trudeau litigation
6. ^ Nutrition for Life's Distributor Charged in Pyramid Scheme, The Wall Street Journal, April 18, 1996
7. ^ 2004 Stipulated Final Order
8. ^ "Kevin Trudeau Banned from Infomercials", FTC press release, September 10, 2004
9. http://www.livescience.com/health/060725_bad_book.html Revealing the Truth about Natural Cures
10. ^ Tapper, J (2006-01-13). "Is Infomercial King a Helper or Huckster? Kevin Trudeau Courts Controversy Along With Great Success". Nightline. ABC News. Retrieved 2009-11-01.
11. Barrett, S (2008-01-03). "Analysis of Kevin Trudeau's "Natural Cures" Infomercial (2004)". Quackwatch. Retrieved 2009-11-01.
12. ^ "Consumer Agency Trashes Trudeau's "Natural Cures" Book". New York State Consumer Protection Board. 2005-08-05. Retrieved 2009-11-01.
13. "Kevin Trudeau Sells Customer Names to Junk Mailers". New York State Consumer Protection Board. 2005-10-31. Retrieved 2009-11-01.
14. Revealing the Truth about Natural Cures
15. Ten Pounds in Ten Days: A Sampler of Diet Scams and Abuse by Laura Fraser.
16. Ineffectiveness of human chorionic gonadotropin in weight reduction: a double-blind study American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 29:940–948, 1976.
17. ^ Federal Trade Commission, Plaintiff v. Kevin Trudeau, Shop America (USA) LLC, Shop America Marketing Group, LLC, Trustar Global Media, Limited, Robert Barefoot, Deonna Enterprises, Inc., and Karbo Enterprises, Inc., Defendants, and K.T. Corporation, Limited, and Trucom, LLC,
18. ^ FTC: Marketer Kevin Trudeau Violated Prior Court Order - Charges Him with Misrepresenting Contents of Book, September 14, 2007
19. Shell-out game - Buying into this 'debt cure' is worse than the affliction, CBS Market Watch, October 30, 2007, Chuck Jaffee
20. Trudeau, Kevin (Host). (2010, May 16).Your Wish is your Command. Toronto: CityTV
21. Global Information Network
22. Cosmic Mind pages 8 through 19 http://www.colorado.edu/philosophy/vstenger/Quantum/01CosmicMind.pdf
23. The God Particle: If the Universe is the Answer, What is the Question - pages 189 to 198 by Leon Lederman with Dick Teresi (copyright 1993) Houghton Mifflin Company
24. CNN.com Transcript, Paula Zahn Now: Interview With Kevin Trudeau
25. "Is Trudeau A Charlatan Or Healer?" – CBS News, The Early Show
26. Inside Edition Show Archive for Oct 5, 2005
27. ^ Stossel, J (2006-01-20). "King Con - Selling Questionable Cures? Bestselling Author Selling Questionable Cures to the Desperate and Gullible". ABC News. Retrieved 2009-11-01. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help) (transcript)
28. Dateline NBC: From the Inside Out by John Larson
29. http://www.trinityfi.org/press/tilton3.html
30. http://vowman.org/pages/1/index.htm
31. http://www.isitso.org/guide/whoiswho.html
32. Natural Cures, Chapter 5 - "Why We Are Sick"
33. Barrett S, What ‘They’ Don’t Want You to Know, Skeptical Inquirer, January 2006. available online
34. Choi, Candice (Associated Press) (September 25, 2005). "No sure cure: Critics lambaste book about 'Natural Cures'". Detroit News. Retrieved 2007-10-28.
35. ^ Infomercial Marketers Settle FTC Charges - Ad Claims For "Hair Farming," "Mega Memory System," "Addiction Breaking System," "Action Reading," "Eden's Secret," and "Mega Reading" Were Deceptive FTC Press Release, January 13, 1998
36. ITC Findings on face lift infomercial
37. Direct Marketing Leaders Donald Barrett and Kevin Trudeau Join Forces URL accessed December 21, 2006.
38. ITV Ventures URL accessed December 21, 2006.
39. "International Pool Tour Eight-ball Championship", RenoTahoe.about.com. Retrieved June 25, 2007
40. L Jon Wertheim (November 24, 2007). "Jump the Shark". New York Times (op-ed). New York Times. Retrieved 2007-11-24.
41. http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2007/11/kt.shtm
42. http://www.ftc.gov/os/caselist/0323064.shtm
43. http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2004/01/barefoot.shtm
44. http://www.ftc.gov/os/caselist/kevintrudeau.shtm
45. http://www.ftc.gov/os/2001/03/truvantagecmp.htm
46. It's about time Kevin Trudeau got locked up, ChicagoNow, 02.12.10
47. United States of America v. Kevin Trudeau
48. FTC archives for their conflicts with Trudeau
49. ^ "Federal Court Finds Kevin Trudeau in Civil Contempt". News Release. Federal Trade Commission. November 21, 2007. Cite error: The named reference "FTCnewsrelease20071121" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
50. ^ United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division (November 21, 2007). "Memorandum Opinion and Order: Federal Trade Commission, Plaintiff v. Kevin Trudeau, et al" (pdf).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) Cite error: The named reference "FTCpdf2007" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
51. Kevin Trudeau Banned from Infomercials For Three Years, Ordered to Pay More Than $5 Million for False Claims About Weight-Loss Book, Federal Trade Commission, October 6, 2008.
52. ^ "Judge Orders Kevin Trudeau to Pay More Than $37 Million for False Claims About Weight-Loss Book". Federal Trade Commission. January 15, 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-24.
53. 1990 Indictment for Credit Card Fraud, filed in USDC District of Massachusetts
54. Entry for 'Kevin Trudeau' at The Skeptic's Dictionary
55. 1997 Stipulated Order for Permanent Order for Permanent Injunction and Final Judgment Against Kevin Trudeau
56. Dreher, C (2005-07-29). "What Kevin Trudeau doesn't want you to know". Salon.com. Retrieved 2009-11-19.
57. Kevin Trudeau Banned from Infomercials – ConsumerAffairs.com, September 10, 2004
58. ^ Kevin Trudeau Document Index with links to relevant documents in Trudeau v. FTC
59. Trudeau v. FTC (Appeal) URL accessed August 7, 2006.
60. Infomercial king sues New York regulators, Chicago Sun-Times, August 15, 2005 by Stephanie Zimmermann
61. http://www.zimbio.com/Kevin+Trudeau/notes/1/Kevin+Trudeau+criminal+history
62. http://slanderfreefor0days.blogspot.com/2008/05/32-random-those-bags-ruined-my.html
63. http://blog.goo.ne.jp/drmoriwoborder/e/4bc3c6ff7b0208a751795d27885b9925
64. Court finds Natural Cures' author Trudeau in contempt of 2004 settlement, may be fined again Christopher S. Rugaber, Associated Press, November 19, 2007
65. "Kevin Trudeau Banned from Infomercials For Three Years, Ordered to Pay More Than $5 Million for False Claims About Weight-Loss Book". News Release. Federal Trade Commission. October 6, 2008.
66. United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division (August 7, 2008). "Memorandum Opinion and Order: Federal Trade Commission, Plaintiff v. Kevin Trudeau, Defendant" (pdf).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
67. "FTC v. Kevin Trudeau" (PDF). August 27, 2009. Retrieved 7 February 2010.
68. ^ Natasha Korecki. Kevin Trudeau held in criminal contempt, facing jail time. Federal judge in Chicago acts after being flooded with emails prompted by the author-infomercial king. Chicago Sun-Times, February 11, 2010
69. Coen, Jeff (2010-02-17). "Infomercial pitchman gets 30 days for e-mails to judge". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2010-02-17. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
70. Sun-Times Staff (May 20, 2010), "Kevin Trudeau off the hook for contempt citation", Chicago Sun-Times, retrieved 2010-05-20
71. (Natural Cures, Chapter 1 - "I Should Be Dead By Now")
72. Firm claims diabetes cure - Allegations fly as company accuses U of C of cover up, Gauntlet News, February 16, 2006, by Nisha Patel
73. Is Infomercial King a Helper of Huckster? – Jake Tapper, ABC News Nightline, January 13, 2006
74. Best-seller ‘Natural Cures’ sparks court battle – Bob Sullivan, MSNBC, August 22, 2005

External links

• Kevin Trudeau Show
• Kevin Trudeau at the Notable Names Database
• Critique of Health Claims re Coral Calcium
• Would You Buy A Used Cure From This Man? – The Smoking Gun, August 26, 2005
• Consumer Affairs article
• Skeptic's Dictionary entry

News articles

• King Con -- Selling Questionable Cures? – John Stossel, Glenn Rupel and Frank Mastropolo, January 20, 2006
• What Kevin Trudeau doesn't want you to know about – Christopher Dreher, Salon.com, July 26, 2005
• 'Natural Cures' a success amid strong criticism – Candice Choi, Convenience Link
• Wait, There's More – Libby Copeland, Washington Post, October 23, 2005
• Being Kevin Trudeau – Mike Panozzo, Billiards Digest, November 2005
• Natural scams "he" doesn't want you to know about – Michael Shermer, Scientific American, March 2006
• Is Infomercial King a Helper or Huckster? – Jake Tapper, January 13, 2006
• After Jail and More, Salesman Scores Big with Cure-All Book – New York Times, August 28, 2005

Official Notices

• FTC Order press release

• Misplaced Pages neutral point of view disputes from April 2010
• 1963 births
• American adoptees
• American businesspeople
• American fraudsters
• American health and wellness writers
• American television personalities
• Diet and food fad creators
• Living people
• People from Lynn, Massachusetts
• People in alternative medicine
• Pool coaches, managers and promoters
• Pseudoscience