# Kevin Trudeau is Going to Prison **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 18, 2014, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-trudeau-is-going-to-prison/683995 "2014-03-18T13:03:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2014, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-trudeau-is-going-to-prison/683995/61 "2014-04-04T12:31:46Z")
> [@Helena330](#): > > I figured since he was in prison his shows wouldn’t be on anymore, but while I was engaged in some insomnia-induced channel surfing, I saw his “debt cures” infomercial on CMT. > > Seems so wrong. Seriously? So while he’s in prison, he’s still earning money doing the thing that got him sent to prison in the first place? How is that even legal? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2014, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-trudeau-is-going-to-prison/683995/62 "2014-04-04T13:27:39Z")
He was convicted of fraud for the diet books. Apparently his “debt cure” isn’t quite scammy enough to be criminal. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2014, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-trudeau-is-going-to-prison/683995/63 "2014-04-04T13:55:07Z")
No, they’re totally legit. He is genuinely using that system to cure his debt. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2014, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-trudeau-is-going-to-prison/683995/64 "2014-04-05T07:29:04Z")
> [@Morgyn](#): > > I’m putting this in the Pit because I hope this thread gets viciously gleeful. > > Kevin Trudeau, flimflam artist, parasite on society, and leach on the gullible, [is FINALLY going to prison](http://www.freep.com/article/20140318/ENT03/303180051/Kevin-Trudeau-TV-diet-pitchman-gets-10-year-sentence). > > To the end, he remained true to his weasely, conniving little self, trying to persuade the judge that he’d turned to prayer and changed. This not long after saying that he couldn’t pay a civil judgement against himself because he was bankrupt, and no, he really doesn’t know what he did with that $100,000 in gold bars he bought a few years ago. Is it certain that he’s going to jail? If he has access to any money, he can appeal many times and stretch things out for a very long time. In fact, with enough money, I would guess that he could avoid going to jail for many many years although it would cost him a small fortune to do that. Do you know the current status of his case? Has he actually been given a date on which he is to enter prison? I’m just wondering what the odds are that he could avoid actually doing any jail time. If I was in his situation and there was any chance I could avoid going to jail, I would spend all the money I had in an effort to try to avoid going to jail (except maybe for however much money my family needed to survive). Wouldn’t you do the same? ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2014, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-trudeau-is-going-to-prison/683995/65 "2014-04-06T03:14:20Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > Is it certain that he’s going to jail? Well, yeah – that’s generally what happens when the judge sentences you to ten years. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2014, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-trudeau-is-going-to-prison/683995/66 "2014-04-06T08:26:09Z")
Wait a minute. HOLD IT! HOLD EVERYTHING! Right now, 3:30am on Sunday, April 6, 2014 I’m sitting in a hospital family room. A close friend is under going emergency surgery and it’s serious. On the television set there is a Kevin Trudeau infomercial for the “free money” book. I’m listing to his crooked voice as I type this. \*\* THEY DIDN’T MAKE THEM YANK THESE ADS?\*\* 😕😕:eek:😕:mad:😕 I had hoped some of you were kidding when you said these were still on. WTF? ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2014, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-trudeau-is-going-to-prison/683995/67 "2014-04-06T23:33:43Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Well, yeah – that’s generally what happens when the judge sentences you to ten years. :rolleyes: It may be what generally happens. But it does not always happen. Here is one example: > **[One Percenter Served No Jail Time For Raping His Three Year Old](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/robert-richards-rape_n_5060386)** > > One Percenter Served No Jail Time For Raping His Three Year Old Here is an excerpt from that link: Richards was initially indicted on two counts of second-degree child rape, felonies that translate to a 10-year mandatory jail sentence per count. He was released on $60,000 bail while awaiting his charges. I’m certain there are other cases where someone can be convicted of a charge and sentenced to a jail term but they do not go to jail. Some never even serve a day. * * * A different example can occur when someone is sentenced to a jail term but they file an appeal and they remain out of jail pending the appeal. If the appeal succeeds, they usually just walk away from the jail sentence. Sometimes they never even spend a minute in jail. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2014, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-trudeau-is-going-to-prison/683995/68 "2014-04-06T23:40:44Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2014, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-trudeau-is-going-to-prison/683995/69 "2014-04-06T23:44:48Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > Wait a minute. HOLD IT! HOLD EVERYTHING! > > Right now, 3:30am on Sunday, April 6, 2014 I’m sitting in a hospital family room. A close friend is under going emergency surgery and it’s serious. > > On the television set there is a Kevin Trudeau infomercial for the “free money” book. I’m listing to his crooked voice as I type this. > > \*\* > THEY DIDN’T MAKE THEM YANK THESE ADS?\*\* 😕😕:eek:😕:mad:😕 > > I had hoped some of you were kidding when you said these were still on. > > WTF? I certainly can appreciate the way you feel about this. It appears that he may have to spend the majority of the rest of his life and all his money fighting this charge in court and trying to stay out of jail. It doesn’t appear that he will ever be a “happy camper” again. He will likely have a miserable time for the rest of his life. I am reminded of the old addage, “When something appears to be too good to be true, it is usually too good to be true.” ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2014, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-trudeau-is-going-to-prison/683995/70 "2014-04-06T23:48:16Z")
In the case I referred to above: > **[One Percenter Served No Jail Time For Raping His Three Year Old](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/robert-richards-rape_n_5060386)** > > One Percenter Served No Jail Time For Raping His Three Year Old I did not understand the following excerpt: Richards was initially indicted on two counts of second-degree child rape, felonies that translate to a 10-year mandatory jail sentence per count. He was released on $60,000 bail while awaiting his charges. I’m certain there are other cases where someone can be convicted of a charge and sentenced to a jail term but they do not go to jail. Some never even serve a day. * * * Can anyone explain what it means when they say, “He was released on $60,000 bail while awaiting his charges.” What was he waiting for? Does anyone know? I don’t understand this. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2014, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-trudeau-is-going-to-prison/683995/71 "2014-04-06T23:55:35Z")
Here is another news story re KT. It appears to conflict with some of the above stories. It has the following headline: \*\*Kevin Trudeau Won’t Serve Jail Time, Court Dismisses Contempt Charge \*\* > **[HuffPost - Breaking News, U.S. and World News](https://www.huffpost.com/?err_code=404&err_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2F2010%2F05%2F20%2Fkevin-trudeau-wont-serve-_n_583533.html)** > > Read the latest headlines, news stories, and opinion from Politics, Entertainment, Life, Perspectives, and more. Here is the story: CHICAGO — An appeals court in Chicago has ruled that an infomercial pitchman won’t have to serve a 30-day jail sentence for getting his supporters to flood a federal judge’s e-mail inbox. The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed Kevin Trudeau’s contempt of court conviction on Thursday. It says a judge cannot find a defendant in contempt on the spot and without a hearing unless the offending action occurred in the presence of the judge. U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman found Trudeau in contempt after his computer and BlackBerry were jammed with e-mails from Trudeau’s supporters. Gettleman argued that a contempt ruling was appropriate because his computer was part of his court. The judge has overseen a long-running legal battle between Trudeau and the Federal Trade Commission. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-trudeau-is-going-to-prison/683995/72 "2014-04-07T00:28:18Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > I’m just wondering what the odds are that he could avoid actually doing any jail time. > > If I was in his situation and there was any chance I could avoid going to jail, I would spend all the money I had in an effort to try to avoid going to jail (except maybe for however much money my family needed to survive). He had already been in jail four months for contempt. If he manages to get released pending appeal (his lawyer has announced that the conviction and sentence will be appealed), he’ll need to pay that lawyer - and prosecutors are already very interested in potentially hidden dough (which some think Trudeau has squirreled away while pleading poverty). If he has a ready supply of cash to fund lengthy appeals, the court is probably going to want to know where it’s coming from. There’s this $37 million dollar fine to be paid. ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-trudeau-is-going-to-prison/683995/73 "2014-04-07T03:22:30Z")
Who are these “supporters”? ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-trudeau-is-going-to-prison/683995/74 "2014-04-07T06:12:51Z")
> [@Helena330](#): > > Who are these “supporters”? The story that referenced his supporters came from The Huffington Post. Here is the link: > **[HuffPost - Breaking News, U.S. and World News](https://www.huffpost.com/)** > > Read the latest headlines, news stories, and opinion from Politics, Entertainment, Life, Perspectives, and more. Beyond that, I’m afraid that I can’t tell you who these supporters are. Perhaps they would be people who bought into one or more of his programs and have some reason why they want to seem him free and at large? I’m not saying there is a reason. I’m just speculating that perhaps there is such a reason. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-trudeau-is-going-to-prison/683995.md?page=3)