Health · editorial rating

Kevin Trudeau

A federal jury convicted him of criminal contempt for violating an FTC order by misrepresenting his own book, and he was sentenced to 10 years. His health claims were publicly rejected by regulators and his manifesting program runs against the research on goal pursuit.

Editorial opinion: SG Score 5 out of 100. Verdict: HALL OF SHAME. This is not a customer star rating and not a finding by a court.

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Strengths

• Skilled at explaining ideas in plain language, which made his books bestsellers
• Submitted the Natural Cures infomercial to the FTC, which did not object, per the Seventh Circuit
• None we could credit on evidence

Weaknesses

• A federal jury convicted him of criminal contempt for willfully misrepresenting The Weight Loss Cure in violation of an FTC order (S1).
• The New York State Consumer Protection Board said the Natural Cures infomercial promised a diabetes cure the book did not contain (S4).
• The Chicago Tribune reported in 2022 that most of the FTC's $37 million judgment was still unpaid (S5).

Claims

1. fails. Natural cures exist for diseases such as cancer and diabetes, but 'they' don't want you to know about them.

   In 2005 the New York State Consumer Protection Board called the infomercial misleading, saying it promised a diabetes cure the book did not contain. His lawyer said the book had a chapter on natural cures for 50 diseases.

   Sources: S4 R48

2. fails. His Weight Loss Cure infomercials said the protocol was not a diet, that the required hormone injection could be obtained anywhere, and that the weight would stay off afterward.

   A jury found these were willful misrepresentations: the book required 500 calories a day or less for weeks and a prescription hCG injection, plus lifelong food restrictions. This violated his 2004 FTC order and led to a $37.6 million civil judgment and a criminal contempt conviction.

   Sources: S1 S2 S3

3. fails. Your Wish Is Your Command is a step-by-step system for turning desires into physical reality.

   No evidence supports manifesting outcomes through belief. Research finds pure positive fantasy can sap the energy needed to act, while planning for obstacles works better.

   Sources: R12 R13 R41 S8 S9

Public record

• 1998: Settled FTC charges over false claims in infomercials, including for weight loss and addiction products, agreeing to $500,000 in consumer redress and a $500,000 performance bond. S2
• 2004-09: Agreed to a stipulated FTC order: $2 million in consumer redress, a ban on infomercials except for informational publications such as books, and a requirement not to misrepresent the content of those books. S2
• 2005-08: The New York State Consumer Protection Board publicly called the Natural Cures infomercial misleading. S4
• 2008-11: Judge Robert Gettleman (N.D. Ill.) found Trudeau violated the 2004 order by misrepresenting the content of The Weight Loss Cure book, and in November 2008 amended the judgment to $37,616,161, the amount consumers spent in response to the infomercials. S2
• 2013-11: A federal jury convicted Trudeau of criminal contempt for violating the 2004 FTC order. S1
• 2014-03: Sentenced to 10 years in federal prison plus 5 years of supervised release for criminal contempt. S1
• 2016-02: The Seventh Circuit affirmed the contempt conviction and 10-year sentence (February 5, 2016). S3
• 2022: Released from federal prison in January 2022 and from a halfway house in May 2022. The Chicago Tribune reported a receiver had recovered about $8 million and the FTC alleged he was hiding assets overseas. S5

Also in Health

• Andrew Huberman (74, MIXED)
• Gwyneth Paltrow (Goop) (35, OVERSTATED)

Sources

1. S1 Weight-Loss Infomercial Pitch Man Kevin Trudeau Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Criminal Contempt. U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois. https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/pr/weight-loss-infomercial-pitch-man-kevin-trudeau-sentenced-10-years-prison-criminal
2. S2 Judge Orders Kevin Trudeau to Pay More Than $37 Million for False Claims About Weight-Loss Book. Federal Trade Commission. https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2009/01/judge-orders-kevin-trudeau-pay-more-37-million-false-claims-about-weight-loss-book
3. S3 United States v. Trudeau (7th Cir. 2016). FindLaw. https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/us-7th-circuit/1725307.html
4. S4 Best-seller 'Natural Cures' sparks court battle. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna9006287
5. S5 Months after release from federal prison, TV pitchman Kevin Trudeau could face jail again. Chicago Tribune via Yahoo News. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/months-release-federal-prison-tv-000900719.html
6. S6 TV Pitchman Kevin Trudeau Gets 10-Year Sentence. Variety. https://variety.com/2014/biz/news/tv-pitchman-kevin-trudeau-gets-10-year-sentence-1201136981/
7. S7 Trudeau, Kevin, et al.. Federal Trade Commission. https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/cases-proceedings/032-3064-trudeau-kevin-et-al
8. S8 What Is Your Wish Is Your Command? Definitive Guide. kevintrudeau.com. https://www.kevintrudeau.com/blogs/articles/what-is-your-wish-is-your-command
9. S9 Positive fantasies about idealized futures sap energy. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2011.02.003

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