According to federal prosecutors the scam involved preying on customer's reluctance to admit that they had ordered the "male enhancement" pills. Customers ordered the pills, but were unable to cancel or get a refund. A former VP of the company testified that Warshak required customers to provide notarized documents from a doctor proving that they had small genitals in order to get a refund.
If customers complained, he said, employees were instructed to "make it as difficult as possible" for them to get their money back. In some cases, Teegarden said, Warshak required customers to produce a notarized statement from a doctor certifying Enzyte did not work.
"He said it was extremely unlikely someone would get anything notarized saying they had a small penis," Teegarden said.
The judge had strong words for Warshak:
"This is a case about greed," Spiegel said as he reviewed the case. "Steven Warshak preyed on perceived sexual inadequacies of customers."
Warshak's 75-year-old mother was also sentenced to jail time, but it's unlikely that she will serve it because she's 75 and has cancer. Meanwhile, Warshak has 30 days to report to prison.
Ohio company owner gets 25 years in fraud case [Associated Press]
]]>Prison rape is a serious problem in our society. No criminal, no matter what their crime, has been sentenced to be raped. Please don't trivialize this serious crime for the sake of a laugh.
]]>1) Why is the FTC not banning all ads?
2) How is Warshak & Co paying for these ads?
2. prison's not the place for this guy - put him to work convincing people that our government is still 'of, by, and for the people' - sure, it's bullshit, we all know this, but maybe he can help us believe the lie a bit better than our sheister politicians.
3. Smiling Bob and his pussy contented wife should move on to star in porn films now - it'd be a niche project, but they'd have an active audience, I'm sure of that. Especially if they expound (heh heh heh, I said 'exPOUND'!) on the whole santa claus, all the office ladies on his lap story ;^)
]]>@Rhayader: agreed! even though this greedy bastard bilked millions from consumers (witless as they may be), 25 years is still a pretty steep sentence. and $93,000 in fines is total chump change. but the company has to fork over a huge sum of money. I don't know, something's not balancing out. and what did his mother do? seems like a Freudian nightmare to have a dude's mother involved in a phallus-enhancing scam. kinda creepy.
]]>"Bob" is actually stolen from the Church of the Subgenius ([subgenius.com])
]]>Forget FF..grab a Tivo and:
Select-Play-Select-3-0-Select while playing any prerecorded show and listen for the BONG BONG BONG noise... now the -> button will make you skip 30 seconds and just like that, no more Enzyte!
I couldn't say all of that if it wasn't true...
]]>Iif you have actually seen any of the commercials they are HIGHLY misleading. They basically refer to to increasing the actual SIZE of your penis and not just getting better erections or increasing blood flow.
"Federal prosecutors accused the company of bilking customers out of $100 million through a series of deceptive ads, manipulated credit card transactions and refusal to accept returns or cancel orders."
THAT's why he is going to jail. Not because of the product itself but because of their obvious lies and deceit
As a side note, this is the most disappointing part of the article:
"Spiegel said the company, which likely will be hit with the majority of the forfeiture, will be allowed to remain in business."
]]>"93 counts of conspiracy, fraud and money laundering."
Sure there are plenty of other crazy vitamin supplements and "ancient chinese remedies" but that doesn't mean you are allowed to steal money from people.
As for the grandmother, I really don't care how old she is...
"Warshak's mother, Harriet Warshak, was sentenced to two years in prison. She was convicted of conspiracy and other charges.
"I have grandchildren," she said. "The time I have left, I'd like to spend with them. I don't think it's fair to take me away from them.""
All I have to say is, and forgive me for my language but I think is absolutely necessary here, "Fuck you, you old bag". I really don't think it's fair to TAKE MILLIONS from people illegally or otherwise helping your son do so. So honestly, I wouldn't mind it if you died within those two years you should be spending in prison.
]]>Now can we please lock up the HeadOn and related homeopathic scammers?
The worst is the homeopathic pet spray product. People might be deluded by a placebo effect, but pets aren't.
The people behind the homeopathy non-medications need to go to prison too.
]]>@GamblesAC2: Health food
]]>@GamblesAC2: **but its when con artists** we need to be able to edit our threads on here
]]>I just went to Enzyte's website to see what was in it. Of particular interest to me are:
Niacin
Zinc
Copper
Korean Red Ginseng
Ginkgo Biloba
L-Arginine HCL
Saw palmetto berry
Niacin can increase blood flow (although this tends to be very unpleasant). This is called niacin flushing. I take niacin on a regular basis and when I take unusually large doses, my whole body becomes bright red; I experience rather painful pinprick sensations all over my body; and my heart rate increases.
Zinc has been purported by some to be able to increase libido. Such claims have not been verified by any scientific studies, but neither have they been falsified. (Zinc can be quite toxic, though, so be careful.)
A deficiency of copper can lead to a deficiency of dopamine synthesis and dopamine, being arguably the most important neurochemical, mediates a large variety of brain functions, notably libido.
Red korean ginseng and ginkgo biloba may not have any direct effect on libido or strength of erection but they may be able to increase mental alertness and energy, which are important elements of satisfying sexual activity.
The presence of the amino acid l-arginine is what really struck me. I wasn't able to remember all the roles of arginine in the body, so from wikipedia:
* Precursor for the synthesis of Nitric Oxide (NO)
* Stimulation of the release of the most important anti-aging hormone in the body, growth hormone.
* Improves immune function
* Reduces healing time of injuries (particularly bone)
* Reduces risk of heart disease
* Increases muscle mass
* Reduces adipose tissue body fat
* Helps improve insulin sensitivity
* Helps decrease blood pressure
* Alleviates male infertility, improving sperm production and motility
* Increases circulation throughout the body, including the sex organs
The presence of saw palmetto is the rub, because saw palmetto acts as an inhibitor of 5-alpha-reductase (which converts testosterone into dihydrotestosterone which is three times more potent than testosterone) and it also acts as an oestrogen, decreasing libido and contributing to erectile dysfunction. On the other hand, because it inhibits the production of dihydrotestosterone it can help in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia which is the build-up of tissue within the prostate, which can dispose one to the development of prostate cancer and make it rather difficult to urinate and, I suspect, have satisfying sex.
It is likely that if Enzyte has any effects on the enjoyability of sex, whether positive or negative, these effects are seen only after a number of months of supplementation. I am not convinced at this point that Enzyte couldn't ever do anything to improve the sex lives of at least a small percentage of those taking it.
The claims of the manufacturers of Enzyte are about as valid and predicated on science as those of ANY supplement manufacturer. If this guy should be going to jail then almost every other vitamin and supplement manufacturer should as well.
]]>@johnva: healthg supplements are protected under DSHEA beacuse there is clinical trial evidence that healthfood supplements are effective (in some cases more effective than drugs) but its when there arecon artists use the supplement industry to run theirs scams that the indusry as a whoe gets a bad name.... heres an artical i found that can give you some insights
Plus, you'd open up a slippery slope that would be completely preposterous. If you bought a product that injured you after seeing it advertised on TV, would you sue the network? What if the product just didn't work? What if the customer service representative for the advertised company was rude or behaved illegally? Where would the line be?
]]>@FightOnTrojans:
Except that would be considered cruel and unusual punishment, and barred by the Constitution.
@SigmundTheSeaMonster: The "white collar" prisons are actually much LESS luxurious than proper federal prisons. To wit, minimum security units are usually "prison camps," used for temporary staging of prisoners, prisoners who are near release, white collar convicts etc.
That means they're much less violent places to be.
It also means there may be few or no facilities. You're less likely to have private cells, TV, air conditioning, etc.
I think I'd probably rather be in a high-security facility. Shine up my handball game, get really, really familiar with the price is right etc.
]]>Comcast will advertise anything.
]]>Um, I mean, uh, my penis is huge, I would never need this product, and if you bought it, you have a small penis, and are therefore less of a man than I am...
NASCAR!!!
WHOOOOOOOO!!!
]]>25 years? Sounds like his sentence is experiencing a generous swelling of pride... At least the forfeiture of $500M should make things a little fairer, right, Trai_Dep?
@Kos: The effect was even better considering I was listening to "Fool's Gold" at the time. (punches out traffic cop)
@ceriphim: Bzuh? Didn't hear about this guy getting his comeuppance. Either way, I vote we all join hands and sing along...
For those of you bemoaning the disappearance of some commercials, don't worry, I'm sure there will be something else plugged into their place.
But, I would suggest as someone else did, get a DVR (or VCR if you want to do it old-school) and record your shows so you can then skip all the commercials. Watching a non-premium cable channel these days in realtime is painful. 20 minutes of commercials and promos for a 60-minute show is just too much time.
I seem to recall seeing some of these commercials whiz by while I held the FF button.
/end of rant. Thank you.
@FlashIV: I've noticed the commericals say a different website than what they actually have printed on the bottom of the screen
]]>@WraithSama: I've seen them on Oxygen and WE tv...I really hate those commercials...I have noticed the wording is slightly different than it used to be
]]>Anyway, glad this guy is getting put away. Or fleeing the country. Either way, one more layer keeping him away from me.
]]>If I had 500 mil I am pretty sure I could get a new passport.
]]>Also, under current rules, the man is going to serve quite a bit of his sentence (assuming he behaves, the calculation is 85% of the time he would have gotten prior to the implementation of the Good Time system).*
]]>(Yeah, a great graphic!)
]]>Yay, a wicked witch is dead!! We should rejoice these kinds of ass-kicking verdicts (don't forget folks, his company also owes $500M as a result). This jackass scammed people and he and his deserve to become a lesson to others.
]]>This is a fed rap, kids. That means no time off or early parole. He's going to do 25 years...
]]>@floraposte: This sort of scam is exactly the end-game we should expect from allowing a gaping "supplement loophole" in the drug regulations. If we weren't still under the Bush Administration, I'd be really surprised that nothing has been done yet to tighten the laws.
@snoop-blog: It SHOULD be illegal to sell pills that don't work.
]]>@Bruce: Me, too! One more hour and I will need to contact my doctor.
This is a case involving fraud on monumental proportions and the grandmother claims that jail time is not fair because she has grandchildren. I love it!
]]>You guys should get TiVo. Or at least an imitation of one, i.e. a cable/satellite DVR.
]]>They are still in business because they stopped the practice that got them in trouble. Which was not allowing people to get a refund or stop the shipments. I bet if you ordered some now, and wanted a refund it would be no problem. It's not illegal to sell penis pills. It is illegal however to advertised a full refund if your not satisfied, and then renig on the deal.
]]>Oh, that sentence gives me a chubby!
]]>I suppose his commercials could state that the product doesn't do anything. ; ) Sorta' like that stupid iPhone app.
]]>Has anyone else noticed the ads by Google in the upper left column? Hmmm wonder if they work?
]]>@blackmage439: It doesn't look like he's going to prison for the product not working, though. Maybe he can still sell it just can't engage in deceitful practices?
]]>I think the credit bureaus (because that's who owns that one, Experian) are a tougher nut to crack.
]]>I was hoping he(?) was referring to Naked Lunch, The Fly or Fast Company.
]]>*I would not be allowed to say this if it were not true.
]]>@IphtashuFitz: I cancelled my extended basic cable a week ago.... no longer getting comedy central BUT I know that up until the day I cancelled that these scammy commercials were still airing on comedy central... most notably during The Daily Show and Colbert Report.
Every VIACOM network airs these scammy commercials. EVERY VIACOM NETWORK.
]]>@IphtashuFitz: They shouldn't be. Someone should notify whatever station that was about this case. They've been out of business for some time now.
]]>But putting him in jail for a third of a lifetime? Seems a bit excessive and counterproductive if you ask me.
]]>when WILL some lawyer.... no when WE some lawyer...
grrrr....
The embarrassment caused by the admission alone would be enough to ensure most of their target customers would not follow through.
]]>These scammy commercials piss me off.
VIACOM pisses me off for airing them on all their programs. Enzyte, extenze, lipozene, direct buy.........But VIACOM has no problem crying foul - crying "oh you're ripping us off - whenever someone uploads a clip of their shows to youtube.
VIACOM knows these are scams.... christ the government sued enzyte months ago for being scammy, did that stop VIACOM from airing those commercials during The Daily Show and The Colbert Report? Fuck no it didn't.
When we some lawyer realize there is a fortune to be made from suing VIACOM for all the consumers they have allowed to be ripped off by LENDING AN AIR OF LEGITIMACY TO THESE ADVERTISERS BY ALLOWING THEM TO AIR DURING THEIR PROGRAMS.
]]>I think a shorter prison time and larger fine makes more sense.
The LA times says a year in prison costs about $31,000 a year. So if he only serve half his sentence, he will cost taxpayers $387,500.00 to punish. [Actually much higher, when you add in the costs of the judicial process]
His fine doesn't cover his prison costs or the costs or prosecution.
Am I the only one cynical about the supposed $500,000 million that will be recovered. How much will ever be collected and if even half gets in victims hands I'll be suprised. I bet the settlement will make victims jump through as many hoops as Enzyte's 'customer service' department.
Of course jumping through hoops won't be that difficult, since the victims clearly don't have giant penises to interfere.
]]>I'm just glad they handed down a sentence with lots and lots of jail time. Jail doesn't really deter low-level criminals who have nothing to lose anyway, but Mr. Warshak was probably living it pretty large when they dragged him off to jail. Granted, he'll have it very easy in jail compared to say a drug dealer or a mugger (white-collar crime jails are notoriously soft) but the fact that he'll be out of action for over two decades will hopefully convince other "male enhancement" scammers to seek a new line of work.
At least until they let him out for "good behavior" or someone writes him a pardon in exchange for some "male enhancement" pills.
If there was any product at all that worked to make your penis bigger, you can bet everyone would know about it, most guys would have it, and people who could afford it would be showing off their comedically oversized...things...on national TV.
]]>Well, at least we don't have to watch the stupid 'Smiling Bob' commercials anymore... I hope...
]]>I would much rather see him forced to return every last cent he owns. In my mind, a financial crime deserves a mostly financial punishment. Again, I am not claiming he is the good guy here, but he is also not a murderer.
]]>In many states 25 years is often the sentence for first degree murder. Rapists and other violent criminals can usually agree to pleas for less than 10. In light of that, this sentence seems a bit drastic.
Of course that is nothing compared to our country's draconian belief in putting drug users behind bars, but I guess that's for another thread.
]]>We need a stronger FTC
]]>"Next target: "free*"creditreport.com. Burn, motherf#$%er, burn. I HATE your god-awful commercials.
I know! What the fug is wrong with that guy? Didn't he get the point after "some hacker stole [his] ID"? What about his lovely wife's bad credit? He should have been much more prepared when he bought that clunker (the compact car, not the wife).
]]>Why again isn't the mother going to jail? Because she's 75? Really? So, when I get that old, I can just go defraud anybody I want to and get off because I'm old? Hot damn, I can't wait!
]]>Amazing that people fall for this. And it must be a LOT of people, too, for them to be able to afford their advertising budget.
]]>Almost all non-violent offenders report to prison for their sentences without being forcibly taken there upon conviction. It is helpful in not having their kids end up homeless among other things.
Also if this guy fled, it'd make cable news (if it's a slow day). Try being a fugitive with your name and face on TVs in every bar and motel you walk into.
]]>The commercials have been on the air in the Chicago market for over 6 months.
This was after Warshak admitted in open court that the product was worthless.
I wonder who at his company was making media buys AFTER he was charged, let alone admitted the product was a scam.
I wonder what liability a television station has for broadcasting these ads? [While a TV station doesn't have an obligation to investigate advertising claims, we have stations who have reported on the court trial, and subsequently broadcast more ads!] Seems to me that makes give them some share liability for the ongoing scam.
]]>@blackmage439: The new one I've seen is "free"triplescore
]]>Aren't they a big sponsor of a NASCAR team?
]]>But 25 years and $93,000 in fines seems trivial. I bet he gets out early for good behavior, and $93,000 is chump change for him. The article states that his scam generated over $100 million, which is probably tucked away in an overseas bank.
]]>There is justice afterall.
But I really loved their comercials.
]]>Next target: "free*"creditreport.com. Burn, motherf#$%er, burn. I HATE your god-awful commercials.
]]>@Edge231:
I couldn't agree more. There seems to be a large disparity between the incarceration of men and women in this country. They don't hesitate to lock up 70 year old mafia Dons with cancer...
]]>Thousands of people endured difficulties because of her and her son.
]]>In prison you're given it, or taking it from behind.
And if your penis is not large enough to give it.. guess what?
]]>"Warshak has 30 days to report to prison."
This guy is allowed to "report" to prison? What the %*(&#@&*& is that? He was not reminded? Oh, of course he has millions and millions.
]]>@HunterZ: I'd be willing to bet he had to surrender his passport a while ago.
]]>Why are these still being advertised if its all a crock?!
]]>"Warshak has 30 days to report to prison."
30 days ? This guy is so going to run. He's packing right now.
]]>@strathmeyer: Yeah, if you pay for an appointment, and pay for a notary to meet you there.
]]>Oddly, any doctor would probably gladly produce a notarized statement saying that Enzyte does not work.
]]>anything stating male enhancement is not going to work if it did it would need a RX or Barbra Walters woul be reporting on it!
]]>@B: Cronenberg's film was Existenz. Close enough though.
]]>![[www.jayski.com]](http://www.jayski.com/schemes/2004/busch/50enzyte-front.jpg){kind=link}