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Kevin Trudeau criminal case number CR-10-886: Trial transcript, November 5-13, 2014.
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1
IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS
EASTERN DIVISION
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, )
)
Plaintiff, )
)
v. ) No. 10 CR 886
)
KEVIN TRUDEAU, ) Chicago, Illinois
) November 5, 2013
Defendant. ) 1:30 o'clock p.m.
VOLUME 1
EXCERPT OF PROCEEDINGS
BEFORE THE HONORABLE RONALD A. GUZMAN, AND A JURY
APPEARANCES:
For the Plaintiff: HON. ZACHARY T. FARDON
United States Attorney
BY: MR. MARC KRICKBAUM
MS. APRIL M. PERRY
Assistant United States Attorneys
219 South Dearborn Street
Suite 500
Chicago, Illinois 60604
(312) 353-5300
For the Defendant: WINSTON & STRAWN LLP
BY: MR. THOMAS LEE KIRSCH II
35 West Wacker Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60601
(312) 558-5600
MS. CAROLYN PELLING GURLAND
Attorney at Law
2 North LaSalle Street
17th Floor
Chicago, Illinois 60602
(312) 420-9263
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APPEARANCES (Cont'd):
Court Reporter: MR. JOSEPH RICKHOFF
Official Court Reporter
219 S. Dearborn St., Suite 1222
Chicago, Illinois 60604
(312) 435-6890
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
PROCEEDINGS RECORDED BY
MECHANICAL STENOGRAPHY
TRANSCRIPT PRODUCED BY COMPUTER
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Krickbaum - Opening Statement
3
(Proceedings heard in open court:)
THE CLERK: 10 CR 886, United States vs. Kevin
Trudeau.
* * * * *
OPENING STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF PLAINTIFF
BY MR. KRICKBAUM:
In 2006 and 2007, the defendant, Kevin Trudeau,
willfully violated an order of the United States District
Court for the Northern District of Illinois. And when the
defendant violated that court order, he was in contempt of
court; and, that's why we're here today.
Now, throughout the course of this trial, you will
learn that the defendant was an author and a salesman. He
wrote books, and he sold those books through infomercials,
which are commercials that you sometimes see on television
late at night or in the early hours of the morning.
And in 2004, you will learn that the defendant
settled a lawsuit with the Federal Trade Commission, which is
a government agency. And as part of settling that lawsuit,
the defendant agreed to abide by a court order; and, that is
the court order that is at issue in this case.
The defendant signed that order, and he agreed that
he would follow all of its provisions. And there are several
different provisions that the order had, but one of those
provisions will be relevant to this case. And that provision
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Krickbaum - Opening Statement
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said that if the defendant made infomercials in which he
promoted a book, the infomercial could not misrepresent the
content of the book. That's the key language: The
infomercial could not misrepresent the content of the book.
Another way to say it is that the infomercials had to
accurately reflect what was in the book.
Unfortunately, the defendant did not comply with that
court order, and, in 2006 and 2007, he willfully violated that
order by making infomercials that misrepresented the content
of his book, which was called The Weight Loss Cure Protocol
They Don't Want You to Know About.
Let's talk for a minute about what was in that book.
Excuse me. I think I misstated the name of the book
itself. It was called The Weight Loss Cure "They" Don't Want
You to Know About.
So, let's talk about what was in it.
The defendant called the book a cure, but you will
see that what it really was was a diet. And that diet had
four different phases to it, and you'll hear more about those
phases as the trial goes on.
For at least three weeks of that diet, you were
limited to eating only 500 calories per day. The diet is, you
will see, loaded with restrictions. Foods that you cannot
eat.
You will also see that the diet is loaded with
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Krickbaum - Opening Statement
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requirements, things you have to do: Exercise, pills and
cleanses, and supplements that you have to take. And you will
see that many of these requirements and many of these
restrictions last for the rest of your life.
But you will also see that when the defendant
promoted his book in those infomercials, he told a very
different story. You will see he didn't tell people what was
actually involved in the diet contained in the book. He told
listeners that he had a weight loss cure. He told them it was
not a diet. He said there was no exercise required. And he
said that when you finish with this cure, you can eat anything
you want and never gain the weight back.
And the evidence in this trial will show that when
the defendant made those statements in his infomercials, he
lied about what was in his book. He chose to make his book
sound way better than it really was. And he did that for a
simple reason: So that he could sell more books and so that
he could make more money.
He also did that knowing that a federal court had
ordered him not to misrepresent the content of his book. And
when the defendant willfully violated that order, that is when
he was in contempt of court. And that is what he is charged
with in this case: Contempt of court. And that is the charge
that we, the government, have the burden to prove beyond a
reasonable doubt.
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Krickbaum - Opening Statement
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Now, I want to take a minute to address a few things
that this case is not about. This case is not about whether
the defendant's diet was effective. I can let you in on a
secret. If you only eat 500 calories a day, you will lose
weight. That's not what this case is about.
This case is not about whether the diet is safe.
It's not about whether it's recommended. It's not about
whether it's a good idea. Those are not the issues.
The issue is whether the defendant's infomercials
accurately represented what was in the book. Did the
defendant tell the truth in those infomercials about the book
or did he misrepresent the content of the book? Did he
willfully violate that court order and was he in contempt of
court? That's what this case is about.
And I want to take a few minutes to explain to you in
a little bit more detail how the government is going to prove
the charge in this case beyond a reasonable doubt.
First, let's talk about the infomercials.
There are three infomercials that the defendant is
charged with making, and they were on television in 2006 and
2007. You will see them during this trial. And when you
watch those infomercials, you will see the defendant making
fantastic claims about his book.
You'll hear him say that the weight loss cure that's
in the book is not a diet, it's not portion control, it's not
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Krickbaum - Opening Statement
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calorie counting. You will hear him say, "You'll have no
hunger. There is no deprivation. You can do it at home.
There's no exercise required. There's no crazy potions,
powders or pills. And when you finish the protocol,"
according to the defendant in the infomercials, "you can eat
anything you want and never gain the weight back."
Those are some of the things that you will hear the
defendant say in the infomercials. That's the dream that you
will hear him selling. But then you will see the reality.
And the reality is what is actually in that book.
You will get to see the book. We will go through it. And
after seeing the book, you will recognize the lies that the
defendant told about his book in those infomercials. I want
to talk about a few different examples.
So, first, in the infomercials, the defendant says
what's contained in the book is not a diet, it's not portion
control, it's not calorie counting. But then in the book --
in Phase 2 of the book -- it says that you can only eat, as I
said before, 500 calories a day; you have to measure the
portions of the food you eat; and, you can only eat food from
a very restricted list.
You can have coffee. You can have tea. You can have
two pieces of meat that are each about the size of a deck of
cards. You can have two handfuls of vegetables. You can have
one small apple. You can have one small grapefruit. And you
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Krickbaum - Opening Statement
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can have water. And that's it. That's all you get all day,
every day, for at least 21 days. And that's set forth in
Phase 2 of the book: A diet, portion control and calorie
counting.
Another example: In the infomercials, the defendant
says that no exercise is required. But then in the book, the
defendant says that you must walk for one hour outside every
day for the rest of your life. Exercise.
Another example: The book describes a substance that
you have to take as part of this protocol. It's called hCG.
And according to the book, hCG is a hormone. You can only get
it through a prescription from a doctor. It has not been
approved for weight loss in the United States. And you have
to inject it into your body with a needle at least 21 times.
Every day for at least 21 days. That's what the book says
about hCG.
So, what does the defendant say about hCG in those
infomercials? Nothing. He never mentions hCG in those
infomercials. He never says that you have to inject it in
your body; that you can only get it from a doctor's
prescription; that it's not been approved for weight loss.
In one of the infomercials, the defendant says
nothing at all about any substance that you have to take as
part of this diet. In a second infomercial, he mentions a
substance in a single sentence; provides no details about it.
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Krickbaum - Opening Statement
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And in a third infomercial, here's what the defendant
says about this substance. He says, "It's an all-natural
miracle substance and you can get it anywhere." This is what
the book describes as a hormone you inject into your body and
you can only get from a doctor's prescription.
That is the difference between the book and the
infomercials. That is a difference.
Now, I want to address an important point about the
infomercials that, I think, you will see throughout this
trial, and that is this: Most of what the defendant says in
those infomercials is in the book in some form or another.
What do I mean by that? Well, let me give you a couple of
examples.
When the defendant says in those infomercials that
this is not a diet, he repeats that in places in the book.
And when he says no exercise is required, he repeats that in
the book. Or you can eat anything you want. There are
sentences in the book that say that, as well. There's no
disagreement about that. We agree those things are in the
book.
But the important point is that the defendant is not
charged in this case with misquoting a book. The government's
case is not about him not putting the right sentences in his
book from the infomercials. He is charged with
misrepresenting the content of his book.
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Krickbaum - Opening Statement
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And the evidence will show that in the book, after
the book says it's not a diet, the book then lays out what the
book itself calls a very strict and specific diet. That's
what the book calls it. And, then, the book lays out the
500-calorie limit, measuring your portions, only eating those
small quantities of food.
After the book says there's no exercise required, the
book then says that you have to walk outside for an hour every
day for the rest of your life.
And perhaps the best example of this, in the
infomercials, the defendant says when you finish this
protocol, you can eat whatever you want and not gain the
weight back, period, end of story.
In the book, the defendant says when you finish this
protocol, you can eat whatever you want and not gain the
weight back; and, then, in the very next sentence, the book
says, "But you can only eat 100 percent organic food."
And, then, after that, it lists more things that you
can never eat, again: No fast food; no food from chain
restaurants; no brand-name food; no white sugar, either by
itself or as an ingredient in something else; no medication.
No prescription medication and no over-the-counter medication,
including an aspirin.
Ladies and gentlemen, the evidence in this case will
show that the book and the infomercials are not the same. And
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Krickbaum - Opening Statement
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the evidence will also show that in those infomercials, the
defendant deceived people about what was contained in his
book.
Now that you've heard a little bit about what this
case is about, I want to talk for just a few minutes about
some of the evidence that the government will use to prove the
charge in this case beyond a reasonable doubt. There are
several different types of evidence that you will hear and
see. You will see exhibits. Some of them will be documents.
Some of them will be photographs.
You will see and hear stipulations, which is just a
word for agreements between the parties that certain facts are
true. You will hear about those agreements.
But the government's case is really going to come
down to two main pieces of evidence, and you can probably
already guess what they are: The book and the infomercials.
That's what the government's case is about.
You will get to see the book. As I said, we will go
through it together. We will look at large portions of it
together. And you will get copies of the book during your
deliberations, I expect.
You will also get to watch the infomercials, all
three of them. And after seeing the book and watching the
infomercials, you will be able to decide whether in those
infomercials the defendant told the truth about that book or
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Krickbaum - Opening Statement
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whether the defendant misrepresented that book.
And in addition to seeing the book and watching the
infomercials, you will also hear from a dietician, an expert
in the field of nutrition. And she will talk some about what
is actually involved in this diet.
So, for example, you'll get to see what 500 calories
of food actually looks like. You'll get to see what the
portions of meat and vegetables that you're allowed to eat
look like. And the dietician will also explain to you some of
the types of foods that the defendant's diet prohibits a
person from ever eating, again.
And after you've heard that evidence, you can decide
whether the defendant told the truth in the infomercials when
he said this was not a diet, when he said that you can eat
anything you want with no restrictions.
I expect that the government's case will be a
straightforward one. And I expect the evidence will show that
when the defendant made those infomercials, he lied about the
content of his book. He lied about it so that he could sell
more books and so that he could make more money. And when he
did that, he misrepresented the content of the book and he
willfully violated that court order and he was in contempt of
court.
That's what I expect the evidence to show.
And because of that evidence, at the end of this case
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Kirsch - Opening Statement
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in our closing argument, the government will stand in front of
you, again, and we will ask you to find that the defendant is
guilty of criminal contempt.
Thank you very much.
THE COURT: Counsel.
MR. KIRSCH: Yes, your Honor.
Can you turn the power point on, your Honor, please.
(Brief pause.)
OPENING STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE DEFENDANT
BY MR. KIRSCH:
May it please the Court.
Counsel, ladies and gentlemen of the jury.
My name is Tom Kirsch and, along with Carolyn
Gurland, we'll be representing the defendant, Kevin Trudeau,
throughout the course of the trial.
So, you've now heard the government's opening
statement. So, what does that mean? That means you have
heard half the story. And I'm going to tell you what I think
the other half of the story would be.
In our lives -- when we make important decisions in
our lives or when we make even unimportant decisions in our
lives, it's usually important to hear both sides of the story
before we make that decision. I have little kids and if one
of my kids came running down the stairs and said, "Dad, Nick
hit me," well, if I punish Nick based upon what Jack had just
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Kirsch - Opening Statement
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told me, I might be punishing the wrong kid.
So, in our lives, we like to hear the full side of
the -- both sides of the story before we make important
decisions. And I suspect, ladies and gentlemen -- I represent
to you, this is the most important thing in his life. So, I
ask you to keep an open mind, as the Judge instructed you to
do.
So, what is this case about? I think we agree on
what the issue in the case is going to be. The government
contends that it's going to prove beyond a reasonable doubt
that Kevin Trudeau willfully represented the content of his --
or willfully misrepresented the content of his -- book in paid
television advertisements in 2006 and 2007.
Ladies and gentlemen, it's our defense to this charge
that he did not willfully misrepresent the content of the
book. Rather, the representations that he made in the
infomercials, of which the government complains, are written
right in the book.
The government talked to you a lot about the fact
that Trudeau called the weight loss protocol a cure in the
infomercial. And the government takes issues with that, the
fact that he called it a cure in the infomercial. Ladies and
gentlemen, the title of the book is The Weight Loss Cure
"They" Don't Want You to Know About.
So, it's our defense that the representations made in
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Kirsch - Opening Statement
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the infomercial were also in the book. And I'm going to go
through every single one of them with you. Not only in my
opening statement, but during the course of the trial. I'm
going to go through every single one of them.
And, ladies and gentlemen, they were statements of
opinion.
Now, the government didn't talk to you about certain
things that I'm going to talk to you about during my opening
statement. So, I suspect I'm going to talk to you a little
bit longer than the government lawyer talked to you, because I
want you to know additional things.
What is it that the government is going to have to
prove in this case? There's three elements that the
government is going to have to prove. They have to prove each
element beyond a reasonable doubt.
Number one, that there was a reasonably specific
order that was entered by a judge.
And I'm going to go through exactly what that order
says. The government referenced the order. Ladies and
gentlemen, it was a 29-page order. One clause is at issue
here. About six words are at issue.
The second requirement that the government has to
prove is that Trudeau violated the order by misrepresenting
the content of his book. So, they have to prove that he
misrepresented: What he said in the infomercial, different
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Kirsch - Opening Statement
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than what he said in the book.
The third thing they have to prove is that he did it
willfully. So, they have to prove that he knew or reasonably
was aware that his conduct was wrongful. It's not just that
he made misrepresentations, but that he did it willfully.
That's what they have to prove.
Now, ladies and gentlemen, I'm going to touch on
this, and then I'm going to move on. The Court has instructed
you twice now about the three basic rules upon which our
entire criminal justice system is based.
The presumption of innocence. The defendant is
presumed innocent. That's Rule No. 1. As he sits here, he's
presumed innocent. That presumption of innocence does not
leave him unless the government proves each of those three
elements beyond a reasonable doubt.
The second element is that the burden of proof never
leaves -- never leaves -- this table (indicating). Never.
The Court indicated to you I don't even have to give
an opening statement. I don't have to cross-examine the
government's witnesses. I don't have to call witnesses in the
defense. And I don't even have to give a closing argument.
And the government would still be required to prove to you
beyond a reasonable doubt each of those elements.
And the third rule that the Court discussed with
you -- ladies and gentlemen, again, these are the rules that
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Kirsch - Opening Statement
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have been the bedrock of our criminal justice system for over
200 years -- is that the government must prove its case beyond
a reasonable doubt. That is a very heavy burden, but that is
the burden that our system of justice requires when the
government hauls somebody into court and requires them to
answer charges, the consequences of which could have a
devastating effect on their lives.
Ladies and gentlemen, I'm going to talk to you over
the course of the next half hour or so about what I believe is
substantial evidence that will show that the defendant did not
willfully misrepresent the content of his book in The Weight
Loss Cure infomercials.
The first thing that I'm going to talk about is
that -- and I already mentioned this to you, is that -- the
representations in the infomercials were in the book. And I'm
going to show you the representations that the government
compares -- complains -- about, and I'm going to show you some
examples of the references in the book. But you're going to
see those over and over and over, again, during the course of
the trial, particularly when I cross-examine the government's
agent -- witness.
Second, the representations in the infomercial
included Trudeau's views and opinions. He's an author, ladies
and gentlemen. He wrote a book. He has views and opinions,
and they're in the book and they're in the infomercial.
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Kirsch - Opening Statement
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Three -- the government didn't mention this company
at all, but I'm going to talk quite a bit about this
company -- there's a company called ITV. They owned a company
called Shop America. And when you watch the infomercials, pay
attention to that because it's ITV -- not Trudeau, it's ITV --
that exclusively produced the infomercials and marketed the
book through those infomercials.
Now, ladies and gentlemen, you'll see the
infomercials, and you'll see the multiple disclaimers that ITV
put in those infomercials, including that they were paid
advertisements -- and I'm going to show you those
disclaimers -- and that you should consult your doctor before
acting on any of the recommendations.
Now, another thing that the government didn't mention
to you that I'm going to talk to you about, ladies and
gentlemen, is that full refunds were available to customers
that wanted one. If you bought a book from ITV and you wanted
a refund, you got one.
Now, the government said in its opening statement
that Trudeau misrepresented -- willfully misrepresented -- the
content of his book in the infomercial because he was
motivated by profit. But if somebody bought the book and they
didn't like it, they got a refund. Not much profit when you
give somebody a refund.
Now, as the prosecutor indicated to you, there are
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numerous facts, ladies and gentlemen, that are not at issue in
this case -- and I just want to walk through some of them --
or not in dispute.
First of all, in the 2004 consent order, which I'm
going to show you -- I'm going to show you; you're going to
have back in the jury room; you can read every word of it, all
29 pages in it -- nowhere in that consent order did Trudeau
admit any wrongdoing. Nowhere.
Now, the government also told you that the
effectiveness of the protocol described in the book is not at
issue. It's not -- you're not going to be asked to decide
whether it's wise or whether other folks should do it or
whether you would or would not lose weight if you did the
protocol. That's not at issue at all in this case.
Now, again, you'll see -- and there will be a
stipulation to this effect. I tell you, in the infomercial
you're going to hear Trudeau say -- and listen for these words
-- "In my opinion, I believe," several times. But Trudeau was
permitted under the 2004 consent order -- and the government
agrees -- that he could state his views and opinions in the
infomercial.
I suggest to you, ladies and gentlemen, that when you
say "in my opinion," that is an opinion. And he could do
that, as long as he didn't misrepresent the content of the
book. But if what he said was also in the book and he's
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expressing it as an opinion, I think that's not going to be an
issue in the case; we're not going to be arguing it.
And, ladies and gentlemen, the truth or falsity of
the book is not an issue in the case. That is a very
important point, and I put it down here (indicating) in red.
When you see this book, you may disagree with every
single word in the book. It doesn't matter. It doesn't
matter. The question is whether Trudeau willfully
misrepresented the content of the book in the infomercial, not
if you agree with what was in the book.
In America, we can write whatever we want in books.
I could write a book arguing that the moon is made of cheese,
and there's nothing wrong with that. You can write whatever
you want in a book. So, the question is not whether what was
written in the book is true or false. It's only whether he
misrepresented the content of the book in the infomercial.
Now, let's talk a little bit about this 2004 consent
order that Trudeau is alleged to have willfully violated.
A consent order is like a contract. It's a
negotiation between two parties. In this case, a negotiation
between Trudeau and the FTC -- the Federal Trade Commission.
Some of you may have heard of the Federal Trade Commission.
They're a government regulatory office that is in Washington.
And you'll hear it throughout the trial referred to as the
FTC. It's the Federal Trade Commission.
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And it's signed by a judge. It wasn't Judge Guzman.
It was a different judge -- Judge Gettleman -- and you'll see
his signature on the paper.
Trudeau did not admit any wrongdoing when he entered
into the consent order. I already told you that.
The consent order allowed Trudeau to write whatever
he wanted to in a book. If he wanted to write a book that
said the moon is made of cheese, he could do it. Anybody can
do that. Anybody can do it.
The consent order also allowed Trudeau to state his
opinions and his views in his infomercials. I talked about
that for -- a minute ago.
And among those 29 pages in that consent order, which
I'm going to talk about in some detail, the order provided
that, quote -- this is all it said on this subject -- "The
infomercial for any book must not misrepresent the content of
the book." That's what it said. That's what the order said.
Now, I'm going to walk through just very briefly with
you some of the major participants that are involved in this
case and tell you a little bit about them, starting with my
client, Kevin Trudeau.
Kevin is 50 years old. He's 50 years old this year.
Ladies and gentlemen, he is a New York Times No. 1 best-
selling author. That means not just that his books made the
New York Times Best Seller List, but that they were No. 1 on
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the New York Times Best Seller List.
He is a motivational, self-help speaker. He is a
natural health advocate. You'll see that in the book. He's
very much into natural cures and natural health advocacy. And
he's an author. He's authored several books.
Now, ladies and gentlemen, you are going to see in
this book -- I have on the screen here that he's made
statements in the past critical of government censorship and
large corporations.
Ladies and gentlemen, he is very critical of the
government. He is very critical of the FDA.
He is critical of large corporations, including food
companies that -- the ones that are putting ingredients and
the chemicals in your food. He is very critical of these
entities, and you're going to see that come through in his
book.
He's critical of the government in many respects.
He grew up in Massachusetts, and he spent most of his
adult life here living in the Chicagoland area.
ITV. ITV is the company that I told you about that
exclusively produced and marketed the infomercials that are
the subject of this lawsuit. ITV is a direct response
marketing company that's located in Massachusetts, outside of
Boston. They specialized in producing and marketing
television infomercials in the live interview format. You're
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going to see that the infomercial, Trudeau is sitting at a
couch or a table with somebody else and it's an interview
format infomercial.
ITV exclusively produced and marketed The Weight Loss
Cures book. They were the one that sold the book. And I'm
going to show you here their refund policy. They offered
refunds to any customers who wanted a refund.
The Federal Trade Commission, I told you, is a large
agency of the United States government located in Washington,
and they regulate advertising. They're represented by lawyers
in courts in civil litigation. This is a criminal case.
That's totally different than a civil case.
The consent order was entered into in a civil case,
not a criminal case. The FTC lawyers, they signed that
consent order. They represent the United States government in
federal courts just like the U.S. Attorney's Office does, only
they do it in civil cases. The U.S. Attorney's Office does it
in criminal cases.
And like I said, they were one of the two parties
with Trudeau to the negotiated consent order in 2004.
I want to talk to you a little bit about The Weight
Loss Cure "They" Don't Want You to Know About, and I'm going
to tell you a little bit more about the book than, I think,
the government did. It was published in 2007. The book
describes -- largely describes -- Trudeau's weight loss story.
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By the way, just so you know, this weight loss
protocol that's described in the book, this is not Trudeau's
weight loss protocol, and I'm going to talk to you about that.
But there are four phases to the weight loss
protocol. When the government was talking to you about
exercise, you can eat all you want, they did not distinguish
between what is recommended in the book and what is required
in the weight loss protocol. And I submit to you that that is
a big distinction.
Phase 1. I submit to you most of the government's
evidence is going to be on Phase 1 of the diet -- or the
protocol -- which is the first 30 days. It's entirely
recommended. It's just recommended. It's not required. You
can start with Phase 2 if you want to. And, then, lists --
Phase 1, which is recommended, lists -- if you're going to do
Phase 1, it lists a bunch of dos and bunch of don'ts, but it's
recommended.
Phase 2 and 3 is the protocol itself. Phase 2 and 3
is a weight loss protocol developed in the 1950s by a medical
doctor -- a British medical doctor -- named Dr. Simeons. And
you're going to see all kinds of references to Dr. Simeons in
the book. Dr. Simeons is the one who came up with the weight
loss protocol, not Trudeau. This is not his weight loss
protocol.
Phase 4. The government talked a lot about Phase 4.
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You can eat whatever you want for the rest of your life and
not keep -- and keep the weight off. If you want to do that
in Phase 4, Phase 4 is recommended. It contains suggestions.
And you're going to see the quotes. And, then, if you want to
do Phase 4 and keep the weight off for the rest of your life,
it contains several dos and don'ts.
But it's important to remember and to distinguish
when the government is talking about the book what is required
under Simeons' weight loss protocol in Phases 2 and 3 and what
is recommended in Phases 1 and 4.
Now, Trudeau advertised this book in infomercials,
which we all know; and, you're going to see the infomercials
in court.
Ladies and gentlemen, I think and I submit to you --
I submit to you -- and I want you to consider these things as
you hear the evidence in the case -- I submit to you that the
evidence is going to show five critical facts in this case
that will prevent the government from meeting its burden of
proof of proving that my client willfully misrepresented the
content of the consent order beyond a reasonable doubt. I'm
going to walk through each of these with you briefly.
The first one is Trudeau did not misrepresent the
content of the book. Remember, the order said you can't
misrepresent the content. Well, the representations in the
infomercial were in the book. They were in the book. And I'm
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Kirsch - Opening Statement
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going to show you that.
So, the first fact that the government can't prove,
that Trudeau misrepresented the content of the book in the
infomercial, is because he didn't. What he said in the
infomercial is in the book.
The second fact -- I mentioned this before -- is that
it contained his views and opinions. The infomercial contains
his views and opinions, which is permitted under the 2004
consent order.
I think the evidence is going to show that ITV was
the company that exclusively produced and marketed the book.
And I have two little sub-points here, that ITV made the
decision to air the infomercials and was aware of and in
possession of the consent order when they did it.
So, think about that, ladies and gentlemen. The
defendant is charged with willfully violating a consent order
by misrepresenting the content of a book in an infomercial. I
think the evidence is going to show to you that ITV produced
and distributed the infomercial. ITV, a company located in
Massachusetts. And when they did it, they had the consent
order. They knew exactly what the consent order said about
prohibiting anybody from willfully misrepresenting the content
of a book in an infomercial.
And, ladies and gentlemen, I submit to you the
government is not going to call a single witness, not one,
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who's from ITV. Not one person from ITV is going to testify
that anybody at ITV told Trudeau that the infomercials
violated the consent order when they produced them and
marketed them.
The fourth fact is what I mentioned to you before:
The Weight Loss Cure infomercials contained several
disclaimers, which I'm going to show you.
And the fifth fact is that ITV policy allowed full
refunds to customers that wanted one.
So, I'm going to take the first two facts together,
that the representations made in the infomercials were in the
book and that they were statements of opinions.
Now, ladies and gentlemen, the government's position
is that the representations in the infomercial were not in the
book and they misrepresented the content of the book.
Our position, as I told you, is that the
representations were in the book and that they were his views
and opinions. So, the infomercial did not misrepresent the
content of the book, and Trudeau was permitted to state his
views and opinions, which I've mentioned.
Now, I'm going to talk to you about some of the --
and I'm going to go -- I'm not going to -- I'm going to go
through these slides so you can see them. I'm not going to go
through every quote on every slide. I'll have a chance to
address you, again, in closing argument, and I will. And
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that's when I'll do it. And I'll do it through the
cross-examination of the government agent.
But if I went through every quote in the book that
was consistent with what was in the infomercial, we'd be here
for hours. And nobody wants to be here for hours.
But the first complaint that the government has is
that Trudeau misrepresented the content of his book in the
infomercials when he described the weight loss protocol as a
cure. If you see on the left-hand side of the screen, that's
the government's allegation: That the statement that the
weight loss protocol was a cure misrepresented what was in the
book. And, then, the government has other similar allegations
with respect to that one allegation.
Well, here are some quotes from The Weight Loss Cure
book. First of all, as I mentioned to you, the title of the
book is The Weight Loss Cure "They" Don't Want You to Know
About. So, the government has alleged he misrepresented the
content of the book in the infomercial by calling it a cure
when the title of the book is The Weight Loss Cure.
But throughout the book, there are dozens of
statements similar to ones that I've quoted on the screen.
"The Weight Loss Cure is not a diet," "not an exercise
program." You see the second sentence: "The Weight Loss Cure
addresses and corrects the physiological cause of obesity,
weight gain, the inability to lose weight."
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The third bullet point: "This weight loss cure
protocol does, in fact, cure and correct these problems."
The fourth bullet point: "You will be cured."
Now, ladies and gentlemen, these quotes are not
quotes from the infomercial. They're quotes from the book.
So, remember the government has alleged that when he called it
a cure in the infomercial, he misrepresented the content of
the book. The quotes are all from the book, where he calls it
a cure dozens of times.
The government -- one of the allegations in the
protocol is inexpensive. But I'm going to skip over that for
now because I want to talk to you about what the government
talked about in its opening statement particularly. But
you'll see -- you're going to see all of these in some great
detail.
No exercise is required. Trudeau, in the
infomercial, said this is not an exercise protocol. It's not
an exercise protocol.
And throughout the book, he talks about -- and these
are the quotes: "The Weight Loss Cure is not an exercise
program."
"No exercise is required."
"No exercise is required."
"Although exercise is encouraged, you do not need to
exercise."
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"There's no hunger or feeling of deprivation during
the treatment. No exercise was required."
Over and over in the book, he talks about no exercise
being required.
Now, the government mentioned to you after the
protocol is finished, you can eat whatever you want. The
government talked about that in some detail. And remember, I
told you Phases 2 and 3 are the protocol. Phase 4 is after
the protocol is complete, and it's suggestions and
recommended.
But throughout the book, he talks about no
restrictions. It does not mean you'll be restricted to
certain types of food. "You'll be cured." "When you're
finished, you'll be able to eat any kinds of food you want."
And, ladies and gentlemen, you're going to hear about
the cure. The cure basically talks about resetting your
hypothalamus gland and also increasing metabolism. So, what
it does is it makes you less hungry so you eat less, and then
it speeds up the processing of the food. That's the idea of
Simeons. This is not Trudeau. This is Simeons' weight loss
cure.
But the idea is to make you fuller faster and then to
make you -- your metabolism -- speed your metabolism so you
break down the food faster. So, you eat whatever you want;
you're just going to eat smaller. You're going to get hungry
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Kirsch - Opening Statement
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faster. Instead of eating three pieces of pizza, you're going
to eat two.
Now, Mr. Krickbaum talked about the organic food.
You remember during his opening statement he mentioned that
Phase 4 requires you eat a hundred percent organic food and
that that was somehow an alleged misrepresentation. Well, I
think the evidence -- I got the book, and the book is going to
be in evidence. I think the evidence is going to show the
following: That Trudeau, in the book, wrote, "The simplest
rule to follow is to eat anything you want, as much as you
want, as often as you want. The only caveat is only eat a
hundred percent organic food."
The next sentence is irrelevant.
The very next sentence after that, Trudeau writes,
"In real life, in the real world, eating only 100 percent
organic food can be next to impossible." He recognizes that
right in the book.
And, then, he says, "Basically, then, what you work
to achieve is to avoid as best you can the man-made
ingredients that cause obesity." That's what Mr. Trudeau said
in the book.
So, although the government is right that he said you
have to eat a hundred percent organic food, in the very next
phrase he recognizes that may be impossible; and, if it is,
just avoid the man-made ingredients that cause obesity.
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Kirsch - Opening Statement
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The protocol is not a diet. That was one of the
things that the government talked about in its opening
statement. What you're going to see time and time, again, in
the book -- the references to "The Weight Loss Cure is not a
diet"; "although it's not a diet"; "the simplest rule you
follow is to eat anything you want. It's not a diet."
So, over and over in the book, he says it's not a
diet.
The next one that Mr. Krickbaum talked about is hCG.
And, ladies and gentlemen, I'm just going to talk very briefly
about hCG. hCG is a hormone. It's produced -- it's a natural
hormone. It's produced in women during pregnancy. Their body
produces hCG. In fact, it's a common treatment for women who
are going through infertility treatment. hCG is a common
treatment. It comes in a powdery substance. You mix it with
water. It's a very small amount. You take a syringe, you
pull it up, and then you inject it in your butt. That's what
you do. That's hCG.
So, Trudeau talks about it as being a natural
substance, and he talks about miracle all-natural substances
that you use during the weight loss protocol. Well, it is a
natural substance. There will be no dispute about that.
But, ladies and gentlemen, I want to talk to you
about the last bullet point here on the screen.
The government says Trudeau didn't mention hCG at all
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Kirsch - Opening Statement
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in the infomercial, and they say that by not doing that, he
willfully -- willfully -- he knew it was wrong -- he willfully
misrepresented the content of the book. But in multiple
passages in the book, he tells you that if hCG is unavailable
to you, if you don't want to use hCG, there's an alternative.
And I can think of three places off the top of my
head when he says that in the book. When I cross-examine the
government agent, I'm going to show you all three of them.
So, he talks about a substitute for hCG, and that will be the
evidence.
Now, I want to talk to you briefly about ITV.
That takes me through Points 1 and 2 of my five
facts.
I want to talk to you about ITV and their decision to
air the infomercials.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is what the evidence will
be on that. The evidence will show that the parties -- that's
the government and the defense -- we all agree that ITV
exclusively produced and marketed The Weight Loss Cure's
program. It's not in dispute. ITV produced it. ITV marketed
it. That's not in dispute.
It's also not in dispute that at the time they did
so, they were aware of and in possession of the 2004 court
order. ITV produced the infomercial. They marketed the
infomercial. And they had the court order -- the 2004 consent
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Kirsch - Opening Statement
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order -- when they did it. And, then, I told you earlier
there's no evidence that anyone at ITV told Trudeau that the
infomercial violated the court order.
No. 4, the disclaimers. Remember I told you there
were disclaimers. And you're going to see these disclaimers
while the advertisement is shown to you -- while the
infomercials are shown to you. There could be no dispute as
to what this was. There's no dispute as to what the
infomercial did. You're going to see -- I can read that to
you -- the disclaimer that came on: "The following is a paid
advertisement for The Weight Loss Cure brought to you by Shop
America."
Remember I told you Shop America is a company that
was owned by ITV. There was a stock purchase agreement
sometime in the summer of 2006. And Shop America was sold --
Trudeau signed on behalf of Shop America, sold the company to
ITV. So, ITV -- there's no dispute ITV owns Shop America.
And Trudeau never owned ITV or anything like that.
He sold some subsidiary -- or some small entities in which he
was a manager. He signed -- you're going to see the consent
order.
But ITV owned Shop America. ITV was the one that
produced and distributed the infomercial. No dispute about
that.
The next disclaimer you're going to see is: "It is
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Kirsch - Opening Statement
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recommended that you consult with a licensed medical doctor or
physician before acting upon any recommendation that is made
in the book or in this paid advertisement."
Another disclaimer that's going to appear in the
infomercial: "Trudeau's weight loss cure has not been
approved by the Food and Drug Administration or any other
government agency."
He says that right in the infomercial.
"The following is a paid program."
"The preceding was a paid program."
Multiple disclaimers in the infomercial.
The fifth fact, and the last one that I'm going to
talk to you. Ladies and gentlemen, the government argued to
you that Trudeau was motivated by profit in misrepresenting
the content of his book because he wanted to sell more books.
But it's undisputed that ITV offered a refund to customers who
bought the book and didn't want it for any reason at all. If
they didn't like it, they didn't agree with it, they didn't
want it, they got a refund.
And this policy is going to be admitted in evidence.
This is a document that you're going to have back with you in
the jury room: "Your ITV product purchase comes with a 30-day
money back satisfaction guarantee that starts upon delivery of
this shipment. If you are not completely satisfied with your
purchase, contact our Customer Satisfaction Department Monday
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through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard
Time."
Now, you're going to hear Trudeau even in the
infomercial, he talks about how it's unconditionally
guaranteed. When he's talking about the book, "Buy the book
for $29.95 and I'll throw in all the other books that I wrote
on natural cures. It's unconditionally guaranteed. If you
don't like the book, if you don't want the book, you call and
send it back."
ITV had a policy where they offered refunds.
And, ladies and gentlemen, that's the end of my
opening statement. I'm coming to the end of my opening
statement, and you're going to see me and you're going to see
Ms. Gurland during the course of the government's case. We're
going to cross-examine the government's witnesses.
And, then, the government is going to do a closing
argument. They get to go first and they get to go last
because they have the burden of proof. But in between when
they go first and when they go last, I'm going to go back in
front of you and I'm going to give a closing argument.
But, ladies and gentlemen, I requested the very
beginning of my opening statement to please keep an open mind.
When you hear the direct examination of the government's
witnesses, don't form opinions and conclusions until you hear
my cross-examination of the government's witnesses. And the
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Kirsch - Opening Statement
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same with closing argument: Keep an open mind.
And I suggest to you, ladies and gentlemen, that you
please keep in mind these five critical facts which, I
believe, will prevent you from concluding that the government
has met its burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt --
beyond a reasonable doubt -- on all three of the elements that
the government must prove.
And at the end of the case, ladies and gentlemen, I
will be back up here and I will ask you to return a not guilty
verdict as to Kevin Trudeau.
THE COURT: Folks, you have now heard the opening
statements of the attorneys. The next thing that happens in
sequence is the introduction of the actual evidence itself.
We will not begin that today. It is almost 4:00 o'clock. We
quit at 4:30. It would be almost counterproductive to do so.
We are going to let you go home today. Get a good
night's rest. Come back tomorrow at 9:30 sharp. We will
begin with the evidence in this case.
I want to remind you -- and I will try to do this
every day, but if I forget, the admonishment is still there
for you to follow -- you are not to read, listen to or view
any news reports or any other information about this case.
You are not to talk to anyone or discuss with anyone this
case, and if anyone should try to do so, you are to report
that to the Court.
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We begin tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. You know which bank
of elevators you are supposed to use.
Any questions?
(No response.)
THE COURT: Have a good evening. We will see you
tomorrow morning.
(Jury out.)
THE COURT: Be ready to begin tomorrow at 9:30.
MR. KRICKBAUM: Yes, Judge.
THE COURT: Okay.
MR. KIRSCH: Yes, your Honor.
THE COURT: All right.
Are there any issues that you foresee that we should
address now?
MR. KRICKBAUM: No, your Honor.
MR. KIRSCH: No, your Honor.
THE COURT: Okay.
Well, I am not going to require you to be here early,
but if between now -- as has happened several times during the
course of these proceedings, between now -- and tomorrow
morning you perceive an issue that needs to be addressed, do
not come at 9:30 and tell me you want to address it then. Let
the Court and opposing counsel know ahead of time and get here
early so we can do this without making the jury wait.
MR. KRICKBAUM: We understand, Judge.
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THE COURT: Okay. Have a good evening.
We are adjourned.
MR. KRICKBAUM: Thank you.
MR. KIRSCH: Thank you, your Honor.
(Whereupon, an adjournment was taken at 3:53 o'clock p.m.,
until 9:30 o'clock a.m., the following day, November 6,
2013.)
* * * * *
I certify that the foregoing is a correct excerpt from the
record of proceedings in the above-entitled matter.
/s/ Joseph Rickhoff November 5, 2013
Official Court Reporter
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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS
EASTERN DIVISION
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, )
)
Plaintiff, )
)
v. ) No. 10 CR 886
)
KEVIN TRUDEAU, ) Chicago, Illinois
) November 6, 2013
Defendant. ) 9:30 a.m.
VOLUME 2
TRANSCRIPT OF TRIAL PROCEEDINGS
BEFORE THE HONORABLE RONALD A. GUZMAN, AND A JURY
APPEARANCES:
For the Plaintiff: HON. ZACHARY T. FARDON
United States Attorney
BY: MR. MARC KRICKBAUM
MS. APRIL M. PERRY
Assistant United States Attorneys
219 South Dearborn Street
Suite 500
Chicago, Illinois 60604
(312) 353-5300
For the Defendant: WINSTON & STRAWN LLP
BY: MR. THOMAS LEE KIRSCH II
35 West Wacker Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60601
(312) 558-5600
MS. CAROLYN PELLING GURLAND
Attorney at Law
2 North LaSalle Street
17th Floor
Chicago, Illinois 60602
(312) 420-9263
Court Reporter: NANCY C. LaBELLA
Official Court Reporter
219 S. Dearborn Street
Suite 1222
Chicago, Illinois 60604
(312) 435-6890
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THE CLERK: 10 CR 886, United States of America v.
Trudeau.
MR. KRICKBAUM: Good morning, your Honor. Marc
Krickbaum and April Perry on behalf of the United States.
MR. KIRSCH: Tom Kirsch and Carolyn Gurland on behalf
of the defendant, your Honor.
Good morning.
THE COURT: Good morning. We are one juror short. I
believe that is a juror who has called in and indicated he is
stuck in terrible traffic and is still, I think at last call,
nine miles away.
MR. KIRSCH: Maybe we should just wait, your Honor.
THE COURT: I don't think we have much choice. So
we'll adjourn until that juror comes in, at which point the
parties are ready to proceed with the evidence?
MR. KRICKBAUM: Yes, Judge.
MR. KIRSCH: Yes, your Honor.
THE COURT: All right.
(Recess taken.)
THE COURT: We have -- I'm sorry. Call the case
again.
THE CLERK: 10 CR 886, United States of America v.
Trudeau.
THE COURT: We have a full complement of jurors now,
so we are ready to proceed.
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MR. KIRSCH: Yes, your Honor. We're ready.
THE COURT: Let's bring out the jury, please.
(Jury in.)
THE COURT: Good morning.
Glad to have you back. We are ready to proceed with
the evidence.
Government.
MS. PERRY: The United States calls Silvia Carrier.
THE COURT: Please remain standing and raise your
right hand.
SILVIA CARRIER, GOVERNMENT'S WITNESS, SWORN
DIRECT EXAMINATION
BY MS. PERRY:
Q. Good morning.
A. Good morning.
Q. Could you please state your name and spell it for the
court reporter.
A. Silvia Carrier, S-i-l-v-i-a, C-a-r-r-i-e-r.
Q. What do you do for a living?
A. I'm a federal agent for the U.S. Postal Inspection
Service.
Q. And what does it mean to be a federal agent for the U.S.
Postal Inspection Service?
A. I investigate crimes involving statutes related to the
U.S. Postal Service and the U.S. Mail.
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Q. How long have you been a postal inspector?
A. 18 years.
Q. What did you do before that?
A. I was a support employee for the FBI.
Q. And what did you do prior to that?
A. I was a student.
Q. What's your educational background?
A. I have a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and a
master's in public administration.
Q. And do you have a particular assignment at the United
States Postal Inspection Service now?
A. I'm on the mail fraud team.
Q. What does that mean?
A. We investigate crimes involving -- anything where the mail
is used to commit fraud, such as documents being mailed or
products being sent through the mail is something that would
constitute mail fraud.
Q. All right. I'd like to start today by talking to you
about the court order that's at issue in this case. And I'm
going to hand you what's been marked as Government Exhibit 5.
MS. PERRY: And, Judge, I'd request permission to
publish a stipulation between the parties at this time.
THE COURT: Any objection?
MR. KIRSCH: No objection.
MS. PERRY: The parties agree that Government
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Exhibit 5 is an accurate copy of the September 2, 2004, court
order.
The parties agree that Government Exhibit 5 should be
admitted into evidence.
So stipulated?
MR. KIRSCH: Yes, your Honor.
MS. PERRY: At this time the government moves
Exhibit 5 into evidence.
THE COURT: Government Exhibit 5 may be admitted in
evidence without objection pursuant to the stipulation.
MS. PERRY: And, Judge, we request permission to
publish portions of that through the Elmo.
THE COURT: It may be published.
BY MS. PERRY:
Q. Inspector Carrier, I'd like to direct your attention first
to the first page of the court order, which I'm going to put
up on the screen.
And can you please tell me, according to this first
page of the document, who the parties were that were subject
to this court order?
A. Federal Trade Commission, plaintiff, versus 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, relief
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defendants.
Q. All right. And directing your attention to the very last
page of the court order, I'm going to be asking you who signed
this order, first, on behalf of the plaintiffs?
A. Heather Hippsley, Daniel Kaufman, Laura M. Sullivan, Peter
Miller, Federal Trade Commission.
Q. And on behalf of the defendants, how many signatures are
there on the right side of that page?
A. Three.
Q. And who signed on the first line?
A. Kevin Trudeau.
Q. And is that as a person or as a number of different
groups?
A. Both.
Q. Okay. So what's the first one?
A. Individually.
Q. And then what is the second signature?
A. Manager or director of Shop America (USA), LLC, Shop
America Marketing Group, TruStar Global Media, Limited, K.T.
Corp. and TruCom, LLC.
Q. And is there also a judge's signature on this particular
court order?
A. Yes.
Q. And whose signature is that?
A. United States District Judge Robert W. Gettleman.
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Q. All right. I'm going to direct your attention now to the
second page. And I'll ask if you can read just the portion
that is on your screen there?
Can you read that?
A. Plaintiff, the Federal Trade Commission, Commission, has
filed a complaint for permanent injunction and other equitable
relief, complaint, against Kevin Trudeau, Shop America (USA),
LLC, Shop America Marketing Group and TruStar Global Media,
defendants, and K.T. Corp. and TruCom, LLC, relief defendants,
pursuant to Section 13(b) of the Federal Trade Commission Act,
FTC Act, 15 U.S.C. 53(b), alleging deceptive acts or practices
and false advertisements, in violation of Sections 5(a) and 12
of the FTC Act, 15 U.S.C. 45(a) and 52.
Additionally, on June 9, 2003, the Commission moved
this court for entry of an order holding Kevin Trudeau in
contempt of the stipulated order for permanent injunction and
final judgment against Kevin Trudeau entered by this court on
January 14, 1998, in connection with civil No. 98-C-0168.
The Commission, defendants and relief defendants have
stipulated to the entry of the following stipulated final
order for permanent injunction and settlement of claims for
monetary relief as to defendants Kevin Trudeau, Shop America
(USA), LLC, Shop America Marketing Group, LLC, TruStar Global
Media, Limited, and relief defendants K.T. Corporation,
Limited and TruCom, LLC, order, in settlement of the
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Commission's complaint against defendants and relief
defendants and the Commission's civil contempt action against
Kevin Trudeau.
Q. All right. Now, I'm going to direct your attention to
page 8 of that particular court order and just ask you to read
the highlighted portion.
A. Additionally, the infomercial for any such book,
newsletter or informational publication must also comply with
the requirements of Part X herein and must not misrepresent
the content of the book, newsletter or informational
publication.
Q. All right. Now, moving away from the court order. Were
you asked to review a number of items in connection with your
work on this case?
A. Yes, I was.
Q. I'm going to hand you what's been marked as Government
Exhibits 1, 2, 3 and 4.
Do you recognize those documents?
A. Yes, I do.
Q. And what are Government Exhibits 1, 2 and 3?
A. Copies of three infomercials.
Q. And did you review those infomercials?
A. Yes, I did.
Q. And what is Government Exhibit 4?
A. A book.
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Q. All right.
MS. PERRY: At this time the government would like to
read two other stipulations, your Honor.
THE COURT: Before you proceed, let me simply advise
the jury.
Folks, a stipulation, which the attorneys have now
referred to, is nothing more than an agreement between the
parties that you may consider the facts in the stipulation as
being proven and true for purposes of this trial.
Go ahead.
MS. PERRY: Thank you.
It is stipulated between the parties that in 2006 and
2007, the defendant appeared in infomercials promoting his
book The Weight Loss Cure "They" Don't Want You to Know About.
Government Exhibits 1, 2 and 3 are accurate copies of
those infomercials.
Government Exhibit 1 aired, among other times, on
December 23rd, 2006. Government Exhibit 2 aired, among other
times, on January 8, 2007. And Government Exhibit 3 aired,
among other times, on July 6, 2007.
The parties agree that Government Exhibits 1, 2 and 3
should be admitted into evidence.
Additionally, in 2006, the defendant authored a book
called the The Weight Loss Cure "They" Don't Want You to Know
About. Government Exhibit 4 is an accurate copy of that book.
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The parties agree that Government Exhibit 4 should be
admitted into evidence.
So stipulated, counsel?
MR. KIRSCH: Yes. Yes, your Honor.
MS. PERRY: Pursuant to stipulation, the government
moves Exhibits 1, 2, 3 and 4 into evidence.
THE COURT: Government Exhibits 1, 2, 3 and 4 will be
admitted in evidence without objection pursuant to the
stipulation.
BY MS. PERRY:
Q. Inspector Carrier, I'm going to retrieve 1, 2 and 3 from
you.
Did you review all three of these infomercials?
A. Yes, I did.
Q. And how do you know that these particular copies are the
ones that you reviewed?
A. I initialed them.
Q. All right. Let's go ahead and talk first about the
infomercial that aired last in time.
So Government Exhibit 3 aired on what date?
A. July 6, 2007.
Q. And was that the first or only time that Government
Exhibit 3 aired or was that just one time on which that
particular infomercial aired?
A. One time.
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Q. All right. And who are the parties who appear in that
particular infomercial?
A. Chloe Marshall and Kevin Trudeau.
MS. PERRY: The government requests permission to
publish Government Exhibit 3. That would be through the
computer and the screens.
THE COURT: Any objection?
MR. KIRSCH: No objection, your Honor.
THE COURT: It may be published.
The source will be the prosecution computer?
MS. PERRY: Correct.
(Whereupon said recording was played in open court.)
BY MS. PERRY:
Q. Inspector Carrier, I'd like to next ask you about
Government Exhibit 2, which was the infomercial that aired
previous to this one that we just watched.
On what date did that particular infomercial air?
A. January 8, 2007.
Q. And was that the first or only date on which it aired or
just one of the dates on which it aired?
A. Just one of the dates.
Q. And who are the people who appear in that particular
infomercial?
A. Donald Barrett and Kevin Trudeau.
MS. PERRY: At this time the government requests
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permission to publish Exhibit 2 through the computer at our
table.
THE COURT: It may be published.
(Whereupon said recording was played in open court.)
BY MS. PERRY:
Q. Okay. Let's move on to Government's Exhibit 1, the
infomercial that aired earliest in time. What was one of the
dates on which that particular infomercial aired?
A. December 23, 2006.
Q. And was December 23rd, 2006, the first or only date on
which it aired or just one of the dates?
A. Just one of the dates.
Q. And who are the people that appear in that particular
infomercial?
A. Chloe Marshall and Kevin Trudeau.
MS. PERRY: The government requests permission to
publish Exhibit 1 through the computer at our table.
THE COURT: It may be published.
(Whereupon said recording was played in open court.)
BY MS. PERRY:
Q. Inspector Carrier, you've now identified Kevin Trudeau in
three separate infomercials. Do you see him here in court
today?
A. Yes, I do.
MR. KIRSCH: Your Honor, we stipulate that the
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defendant is here -- we stipulate that she can identify the
defendant in court.
MS. PERRY: That's fine.
THE COURT: The record will reflect that the witness
has identified the defendant in open court.
BY MS. PERRY:
Q. I am now going to hand you what's been marked as
Government Exhibits 1A, 2A and 3A.
MS. PERRY: And, Judge, I'm going to read another
stipulation.
THE COURT: Proceed.
MS. PERRY: Government Exhibits 1A, 2A and 3A are
accurate transcripts of the infomercials contained in
Government Exhibits 1, 2 and 3.
These transcripts accurately identify the speakers in
the infomercial and the words that were spoken.
The parties agree that Government Exhibits 1A, 2A and
3A should be admitted into evidence.
So stipulated, counsel?
MR. KIRSCH: Yes, your Honor, we stipulate.
MS. PERRY: At this time the government moves
Exhibits 1A, 2A and 3A into evidence.
THE COURT: Government Exhibits 1A, 2A and 3A are
admitted in evidence without objection by stipulation.
MS. PERRY: And, Judge, we're going to hand out
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exhibit binders at this time.
THE COURT: Containing?
MS. PERRY: Containing 1A, 2A and 3A, as well as some
other exhibits that will be admitted in a few minutes.
MR. KIRSCH: What other exhibits that will be
admitted?
THE COURT: Show them to opposing counsel first,
please.
(Brief pause.)
MR. KIRSCH: Your Honor, we have the book here. If
they want to hand out the book, the entire book --
(Brief pause.)
MR. KIRSCH: Well, the government is proposing to
give the jury three chapters of the book; and we've got the
whole book. We've got 14 copies of the whole book. We can
give