Infomercial King's Suicide Note Suggests You Too Could Be as Rich as Him
Infomercial pitchman Don Lapre died as he lived: selling himself, in an online suicide note that doubles as a motivational get-rich pep-talk. Lapre was found dead in an Arizona jail cell Sunday morning, having bled to death while awaiting a trial on 41 counts of fraud and money laundering. Lapre was a regular on TV in the 1990s and 2000s, selling 1-900 telephone lines, "smart learning," vitamins and a turnkey business involving "tiny classified ads" in thousands of local newspapers:
It was Lapre's the third known suicide incident: The second occurred when he was hiding in a gym while on the run from the law in June -- he was found with deep cuts to his groin. U.S. marshals believe he was trying to sever his femoral artery. And he threatened suicide in 2000 when he went bankrupt selling real estate.
Before he was arrested, Lapre turned his website into a memorial of his life, with a collage of photos of luxury real estate (and underneath them some photos of his kids). It's not clear whether the images are Lapre's properties or places he believed you could attain through his sales methods. The site rails against the government for prosecuting him but at the same time suggests that maybe you should give his business methods a try:
I tried to create the best product on earth, paid out millions, made very little trying to make it a success, had attorneys review my entire company, paid out millions in refunds, tried to make the commission and products better every single year, and in spite of all that, I have been accused of something I did not do.The key phrase here is "the majority of people did not make money," which tells you all you need to know about the get-rich-quick schemes that are advertised on late-night cable TV. This is not a case in which the feds hounded an innocent entrepreneur; the FDA warned Lapre in 2005 and 2006 to stop selling fraudulent vitamin cures for diabetes.Nevertheless, because the majority of people did not make money, in spite of everyone of them being able to make as many $1000 checks as they wanted, I am left to fight a battle that will for sure destroy what energy I have left inside...
I hope the pictures below motivate you to take a chance in life and try to do the impossible... It did not work out for me with my vitamins but I believe that being willing to fail is part of having a chance at success.
The indictments accused him of defrauding 220,000 people out of $52 million in the vitamin scam.
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