TV infomercial star-turned-convicted swindler Kevin Trudeau has been sentenced to 10 years after prosecutors accused him of cheating people out of millions in a fraudulent weight-loss book.
Trudeau, whose sentence follows his defiance of paying a $37 million fine, was slammed as "deceitful to the core" by U.S. District Judge Ronald Guzman in Chicago Monday.
The 50-year-old still gave one last pitch before the judge, saying that his four months behind bars for the November conviction had already changed him for the better.
"I have absolutely learned a life-changing lesson from all of this," Trudeau said.
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The judge reacted with no sympathy, however, but instead publicly shamed him as cheating people since he was 25 years old.
The deceit echoed prosecutors' own claims. Trudeau was described by them as preying on the sick, poor and insecure when he released misleading infomercials for his 2009 book, "The Weight Loss Cure 'They' Don't Want You to Know About." The book made $49 million in sales.
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Prosecutors said Trudeau's actions resulted in more than $37 million in losses to consumers.
Such weight-loss secrets enclosed in his book included directions to walk an hour each day and limit food intake to 500 calories.
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Customer reviews of the book on Amazon.com give it two and a half stars. They include such comments as "Only your wallet will lose weight" and "Garbage. Use it for firewood!!"
Still, Trudeau isn't without steadfast and adoring fans.
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In addition to some positive Amazon comments, Monday's sentencing was twice momentarily disturbed when an 80-year-old former congressman for Texas and New Mexico tried to make a statement during the hearing.
He was eventually carried out of the room and ticketed for creating a disturbance.
WIth News Wire Services
ngolgowski@nydailynews.com
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