Even if you don’t know Kevin Trudeau by name, you’ll likely recognize his face. You’ve probably seen him while channel surfing during a bout of insomnia; he’s the perfectly coiffed guy who confidently explains to one or more women on his talk show style-infomercials about having the answers for all that worries you — from illness to money.

Trudeau is a legendary figure in the world of infomercials, with a charismatic approach that has won him a legion of followers. Over the years, he’s offered us advice on how to beat cancer, improve our memory, read faster, lose weight and straighten out our finances. Now he’s onto the next life-altering topic. Trudeau is currently saturating the infomercial airwaves with 30-minute segments about his latest book: “Free Money ‘They’ Don’t Want You to Know About.”

Trudeau has sold millions of books that dole out his expansive range of advice. Yet, one thing his adoring fans might not realize is that the charming pitchman on the television is also a convicted felon who has been slammed with an extraordinary series of sanctions by the FTC for allegedly misleading consumers. Currently, there is a $40 million-plus fine looming over Trudeau’s head in an ongoing court battle with the Federal Trade Commission. A judge even gave him the distinction of being the only pitchman banned from doing infomercials.

Trudeau has managed to turn the constant allegations by the government into a marketing tool. The more trouble he’s in, the more he looks like a hero speaking out against a vast government conspiracy intended to silence his powerful messages. His messages, he claims, are ones that the government doesn’t want you to know. In fact, the phrase “They don’t want you to know about” is incorporated into his most recent book titles.

“It’s a testament to his sales ability and naivete of the consumer. This is a person who time and time again has been targeted by different government agencies due to unsavory business practices and continues to sell product,” said Scott Testa, a marketing professor at Cabrini College outside Philadelphia.

http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/12/03/the-infamous-king-of-infomercials-kevin-trudeau-is-at-it-again/

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