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A TV infomercial pitchman accused of defrauding more than 226,000 people out of nearly $52 million has died in his Arizona jail cell of an apparent suicide, authorities said on Monday.
Donald Lapre, 47, was found dead at about 8:30 a.m. on Sunday at a facility in Florence, Arizona, where he was being held on fraud and other related charges, U.S. Marshal's spokesman Matt Hershey said.
Lapre, the self-proclaimed "King of Infomercials," was awaiting a trial next October after being indicted on 41 charges stemming from a nationwide scheme to sell what was billed as "The Greatest Vitamin in the World."
. . .
In a rambling note on his website, Lapre said he did nothing wrong. ...
More (w/photo):
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/44763429/ns/today-today_news/t/king-infomercials-found-dead-jail-cell/#.TopHqNRqNfk
The note (along with a bunch of photos) is still up at http://donlapre.com/ :
"Never Stop Dreaming....
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. I did not have the perfect company but never once did I allow one thing to be done that would violate any law. 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.... Never stop dreaming and for all those who sent me testimonials of what you did because of some of my help, I am grateful I made a small difference in your life... DL donlapre2000@yahoo.com"
Blog, a searchable database of obituaries
back to 2001:
http://DeadCelebrityAlert.com
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