Kevin Trudeau, a best-selling author whose claim to fame stems from his late-night television informercial pitches, was sentenced to 10 years in jail for making what the judge described as fraudulent claims related to his weight-loss book.
U.S. District Judge Ronald Guzman said Trudeau, 50, was a brazen and habitual fraudster who even used his own mother’s Social Security number for profit, The Associated Press reported.
“Since his 20s, he has steadfastly attempted to cheat others for his own gain,” Mr. Guzman said, calling Trudeau in the AP report “deceitful to the very core.”
The sentence came after Trudeau made an impassioned plea for leniency, telling the judge he had turned to prayer and changed.
“I have truly had a significant reawakening,” he said, AP reported. “If I ever do an infomercial again … I promise: No embellishments, no puffery, no lies.”
Trudeau was officially convicted of criminal attempt in November for breaking a court order from 2004 that prohibited him from running false advertisements about his weight-loss book, which ultimately sold more than 850,000 copies. His defense attorneys asked the judge for a sentence of less than two years.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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