Quote from smilingsynic:
...Many vendors use books as a printed infomercial of sorts to sell higher-priced videos, workshops, and DVDs. Wade Crook (Cook) was a master of that, before he went to prison.
Wade Cook went to prison for
tax invasion.
Prior to that, he primarily used
radio (paid commercials) and
post office junk mail to market his
books, higher priced videos, workshops and DVDs. Post office authorities said he had paid as much as 1 million dollars to market his stuff prior to him & wife being convicted of tax invasion.
Although he's in prison, his business is still in operation under a different name (I believe via his own name) although scaled down until he is released from prison. Unfortunately, part of his sentence was not to stay away from selling those seminars...just to pay his taxes if he makes money.
He did settle all complaints against him from the SEC, FTC and many different states Attorney General offices...a slap on the wrist at the time for him.
By the way, here's my favorite list of folks that have been convicted of
tax invasion and some actually went to prison while others got probation for their crimes:
1. Movie star Wesley Snipes
2. Country singer Willie Nelson
3. Baseball star Darryl Strawberry
4. Former Vice President Spiro Agnew
5. "Survivor" Richard Hatch
6. Heiress Leona Helmsley
7. Mobster Al Capone
8. Tennis star Boris Becker
9. "Hollywood Madam" Heidi Fleiss
10. Martha Stewart (insider trading and tax invasion or maybe it was
lying about such to federal authorities)
I wouldn't be surprise to see Charlie Sheen and Nicolas Cage on the above list sometime soon.
Also, didn't U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Tim Geithner get a slap on the wrist for failing to pay taxes and he said it was a "simple mistake".
Other famous tax cheats @
http://www.walletpop.com/photos/famous-tax-cheats/
Don't mess with the IRS
Mark