We have a bunch of wacky characters here in Illinois (mostly politicians) but this guy takes the prize!
In the early 1990’s he wrote a book called The Weight-Loss Cure “They” Don’t Want You to Know About” In it he suggested a weight loss diet of 500 calories a day, but claimed that you can eat anything you want and still lose weight. He ran infomertials for the book and in 1998 he was sued by the Federal Trade Commission for making false and misleading claims promoting the book. He settled that action, by agreeing to pay a $500,000 fine and consenting to a lifetime ban on promoting products other than his books via infomercials. On Nov. 29, 2011, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a $37.6 million fine levied against him for violating that 2004 settlement.
He declared bankruptcy so he wouldn’t have to pay the fine, and says he is broke, even though he seems to live in a mansion in Switzerland. He is back in Chicago this month on trial for not paying the fine. The judge has thrown him in jail twice in the last month for not disclosing how much money he has. Each time he is let out, he walks out of jail like a rock star, smiling and waving without a care in the world.
Now he is on trial, and if he loses, he will probably go to jail for a long time. Lets hope!!