Yeah – I know…bad joke there. Couldn’t resist. š
It’s been three years since Will posted this on the “Bodybuilding Revealed” forum:
Finally, someone is going after the company that makes the Enzyte “male enhancement formula.ā I donāt know about your area, but in the New England area this company runs ads on TV constantly and it drives me crazy. I wondered how long it would take for some entity (e.g., FDA, FTC, etc) to take some action against this company and companies of their ilk, ripping off people and making huge profits off desperate men. The wheels of justice turn very slowly, but they do turnā¦
The wheels of justiceĀ were slow, butĀ surprisingly thorough in this case…
Berkeley Nutraceuticals Leader Gets 25 Years
08/28/2008
CINCINNATIāWhat do misleading advertisements and shady credit card transactions win a convicted criminal? Well, Steve Warshak, founder of Berkeley Premium Nutraceuticals, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for his role in such fraudulent business practices, which federal officials say swindled consumers out of more than $400 billion dollars. Warshak and company were charged with deceptive ads for Enzyte, a sexual performance product, as well as for an automatic credit card charging scheme that took money from customers without letting them return or cancel orders.
Overall, Warshak was charged with more than 90 counts of fraud, conspiracy and money laundering, and his company was ordered to hand over $500,000 in profits and $93,000 in fines. Declaring the case was about greed, U.S. District Court Judge Arthur Spiegel prefaced the Warshak’s sentencing with a statement about how the self-proclaimed “Smiling Bob” preyed on customers’ sexual deficiencies and tried to defend himself by claiming the customers did not publicly complain.
Warshak was denied bail during pending appeal of his conviction and has until Sept 29 to surrender to prison.
Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy, eh?
Of course, Enzyte itself is still being sold: the crime wasn’t producing a practically useless (albeit harmless) supp, after all.Ā So buyer (still) beware…
Former research associate with the University of California at Davis, and the author/co-author of over a dozen articles published in scientific journals, freelance writer and researcher, writing on bodybuilding nutrition and supplements
Finally, finally, finally!!!!! OK, he’s not selling crack but he’s still a scum bag (pardon my French!) and the product is garbage. 1 down, 9,765,258,931 to go…
At least these scum balls are being held accountable, damm scammers.
After all the years of watching these commercials, I really wondered if this was true. Of course, the advice my dad always gave me was, “If it sounds too good to be true, then it is”. I find it disgusting that someone could find a way to prey on innocent, desperate people to make a fast buck. The thing that bothers me most is that it continues to sell, and the penalty seems extreemly light to me.
i would suggest cutting his off!! n i m not gonna appologise bout it. these @$$ holes deserve it.
I hate to play the bad guy, but it’s $400 million that consumers were said to have been swindled out of.
Thanks for taking the time to contribute to the blog, Elissa. I enjoy your articles.