After Vemma College Flap, Herbalife Products Marketed Through One Of Largest Catholic High Schools In United States

UPDATED 3:59 P.M. EDT U.S.A. It surfaced on Twitter today in the $HLF search thread that Herbalife products are being marketed through Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, Calif. The Catholic school bills itself  “the largest non-public school west of Chicago.”

Herbalife is under investigation by the Federal Trade Commission. Hedge-fund manager and Herbalife short-seller Bill Ackman has claimed the company is a pyramid scheme that targets vulnerable population groups. Herbalife denies the claims.

Mater Dei says its 2,145-member student body consists of 38% Caucasian, 33% Hispanic, 19% Asian, 4% African-American, 1% Native American, 1% Pacific Islander and 4% “Other Race.”

The school did not immediately respond today to a request for comment in which the PP Blog asked it whether it was aware of an Herbalife-related promo on its website, whether the promo was a school-endorsed activity and whether Mater Dei students were being recruited to sell Herbalife.

Vemma, another MLM company, was charged last year by the FTC with operating a pyramid scheme, amid allegations the firm was targeting college students.

Herbalife did not respond immediately to a request for comment on whether it was aware its products were being offered to Mater Dei students, whether students were being targeted for recruitment and whether the company had any concerns given the targeting allegations against Vemma.

The Mater Dei website has a page styled “Herbalife Program > Consent & Waiver Form.” The page says “ALL current Mater Dei student-athletes are required to have a signed consent and waiver form on file in order to participate in the HERBALIFE Program.”

A link to the form is provided, along with  a text prompt that says forms also are distributed by “coaches.” (See PP Blog screen shot of form.)

A separate page on the Mater Dei website is styled “Herbalife Program > About.” It includes a phone number consistent with an Herbalife affiliate site in the name of “Coach Donte Mdhs.”

The affiliate site says, “MATER DEI HIGH SCHOOL INFORMATION . . . All H24 Products are available to MD students (except Prepare).”

A search of the Mater Dei website returns hundreds of results for the search term “Herbalife” (without the quotation marks). One of the results is an “Order NOW & Coupon Codes” page that says discounts are available to nearly two dozen school athletic teams and “Alumni, Dance, Faculty and Pep Squad” groups.

In February, a man being sued for the return of his alleged winnings in the TelexFree MLM scheme claimed Herbalife executives and personnel helped sell him on the TelexFree deal. Herbalife did not respond to a request for comment on the claim.

TelexFree generated more than $3 billion in illicit business, a court-appointed bankruptcy trustee claims.