TV Pitchman Kevin Trudeau Found in Contempt over Diet Book Ads

Infomercials ruled misleading

TV pitchman Kevin Trudeau was taken into custody after he was convicted today of criminal contempt for airing misleading infomercials about a diet book he published.

The federal jury deliberated for less than an hour before handing down the verdict in the downtown Chicago courthouse.

U.S. District Judge Ronald Guzman ordered Trudeau to be arrested immediately, citing his disdain for the authority of the court and the millions of dollars that prosecutors believe he has hidden in overseas accounts.

Trudeau, 50, was found guilty of violating the terms of a decade-old consent order in which he promised the Federal Trade Commission that he would stop making misleading ads touting his books.