URGENT >> BULLETIN >> MOVING: Herbalife Must ‘Fundamentally Restructure Its Business,’ FTC Says In Settlement Announcement; Agency Brings Complaint In Federal Court That Alleges ‘Deceptive And Unlawful Acts And Practices’
URGENT >> BULLETIN >> MOVING: (13th Update 3:45 p.m. EDT U.S.A.) The FTC is going to federal court in the Central District of California, alleging that Herbalife engaged in “deceptive and unlawful acts and practices.” Separately, the agency announced a settlement with the company that will have Herbalife pay $200 million and change the way […]
ZEEK: Key Figures — And Paul Burks’ Defense
EDITOR’S NOTE: Prosecutors and Paul Burks are clashing over expert witnesses and the admissibility of certain evidence. The article below reproduces the anticipated core of Burks’ trial defense, as advanced by his lawyers. This article is not intended to be all-encompassing. Prosecutors, of course, have an altogether different take. They have posted the indictment against Burks […]
URGENT >> BULLETIN >> MOVING: Zeek Receiver Moves For Summary Judgment Against Class-Action Clawback Defendants; Kenneth Bell Says Defense Expert Witness Has Found No Evidence That ‘Disproves That The Business As A Whole Operated As A Ponzi Scheme’
URGENT >> BULLETIN >> MOVING: (3RD UPDATE 6:11 P.M. EDT U.S.A.) On virtually the eve of the criminal trial of Paul Burks, receiver Kenneth D. Bell has asked the court presiding over a huge class-action lawsuit against 9,400 alleged Zeek “winners” for a finding the MLM program was a Ponzi scheme. Such a finding would mandate […]
FEDS: Having Pocketed $11 Million In 2011, Burks Plowed Forward With Zeek, Despite Knowledge Of AdSurfDaily Ponzi Case
“Rather, [Andy] Bowdoin manufactured the revenue numbers to deceive members into believing that they could reasonably expect to receive an average daily return on their investment with [AdSurfDaily] of at least 1%. This percentage in no way corresponded to the daily revenue that ASD was generating, but had been determined by ASD’s operators to be […]
Embezzled Banners Broker Pyramid Funds Allegedly Ended Up In ‘KulClub,’ Another Ponzi-Board MLM Program
2ND UPDATE 2:25 P.M. EDT U.S.A. More horrible PR for the MLM trade: Banners Broker international pitchman and pyramid-scheme figure Kuldip Josun embezzled at least $3.6 million from affiliates, according to a receiver’s report. The money was deposited into a Swiss bank account held by an entity known as World Web Media Inc. and appears […]
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 […]
Stephen L. Cohen, SEC Official Who Introduced World To Zeek Case, Leaving Agency After Nearly 12 Years
“The obligations to investors drastically exceed the company’s cash on hand, which is why we need to step in quickly, salvage whatever funds remain and ensure an orderly and fair payout to investors. ZeekRewards misused the power of the Internet and lured investors by making them believe they were getting an opportunity to cash in […]
PAYZA TO ZEEK RECEIVER: Don’t Blame Us
Payza, an HYIP-friendly payment processor that recently bragged on Twitter about its attendance at an event for the teetering TrafficMonsoon scheme, has advised a federal judge that it is not responsible for millions of dollars that allegedly went missing in the Zeek Rewards’ scheme taken down by the SEC in 2012. Zeek receiver Kenneth D. Bell […]
Alleged Zeek ‘Winner’ Repeatedly Invokes Fifth Amendment In Clawback Case
UPDATED 3:07 P.M. EDT U.S.A. Darren Miller, an alleged winner of more than $1.635 million in Zeek Rewards and one of the lead defendants in a civil class-action clawback lawsuit filed by Zeek receiver Kenneth D. Bell, repeatedly has invoked his Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate himself, according to new court filings by Miller. In […]
DEVELOPING STORY: Phil Ming Xu Of WCM777 May Be Under Arrest In China
UPDATED 3:11 P.M. EDT U.S.A. A report dated today at ShanghaiDaily.com says an individual “surnamed Xu” and associated with “World Capital Market Inc.” is “now in custody” after a police action against a “pyramid scheme” in China. The PP Blog has contacted the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to determine if the person reportedly under […]
Individual Linked To Payment Processor For ‘MyAdvertisingPays’ Scheme Listed In Panama Papers
Roger Alberto Santamaria Del Cid, an apparent nominee director for offshore companies who is listed as a corporate “subscriber” for VX Gateway in Panamanian business records, is referenced at least three times in the “Panama Papers.” The PP Blog discovered the Del Cid listings today. On Monday, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists made its database of […]