TV Pitchman Don Lapre Found Dead
Controversial television pitchman Don Lapre has been found dead in his jail cell in Arizona after apparently committing suicide. Lapre was 47-years-old.
Don Lapre committed suicide just two days before his trial was set to begin. In June, Lapre was indicted by a federal grand jury in Arizona on claims that he was running a nationwide scheme to sell worthless Internet business.
He was charged with 41 counts of conspiracy, mail fraud, wire fraud, promotional money laundering, and transactional money laundering.
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Lapre first gained notoriety in the early 1990s after making claims in infomercials that he could show consumers how to make $50,000 by posting classified ads.
He began airing the “The Making Money Show with Don Lapre,” which promised viewers riches if they subscribed to his packets of booklets, tips, and tapes. The program eventually ranked among the top 10 highest viewed cable infomercials.
Lapre also is behind the product “The Greatest Vitamin In the World,” a pill that promised to help against diabetes, strokes, heart diseases, and cancer.
He received criticism from the Food and Drug Administration in 2005 that deemed the vitamin pill unsafe and ineffective. Also Watchdog group Quakerwatch also accused Don Lapre of selling rich-quick schemes to consumers. The United States Department of Justice estimated that Lapre scammed 220,000 victims out of nearly $52 million.
Earlier this summer, Lapre attempted suicide in his jail cell after U.S. Marshalls found him with deep cuts to the groin after serving him with an arrest warrant.
The United States Marshalls confirmed his death but state the investigation is still ongoing.
