TV pitchman Kevin Trudeau may avoid jail due to gov't shutdown
CHICAGO (AP) — A television pitchman accused of misleading viewers about his weight-loss books during his late-night infomercials could avoid jail — for now — because of the partial federal government shutdown.
A U.S. judge in Chicago was set to decide Friday whether to jail Kevin Trudeau, 50, for failing to pay a $37 million civil judgment. But the court agreed to delay the hearing after Federal Trade Commission attorneys said they weren't getting paid.
To counter Trudeau's claim he's destitute and so can't pay, the FTC lawyers presented evidence he has recently spent $920 on cigars and $359 on two haircuts. After a brief stint in jail last month, they argued he still is not being forthcoming about his global assets.
Trudeau's case is one of several in the Chicago-area U.S. court system delayed by the shutdown, and courts in the other 93 federal districts around the country have faced similar delays, said Tom Bruton, the clerk for the Northern District of Illinois — one of the nation's busiest courts. There are nearly 10,000 civil and around 1,000 criminal cases pending in the district, he said.
More at http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/TV-pitchman-may-avoid-jail-due-to-gov-t-shutdown-4866302.php?cmpid=hpts .
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