Utah Attorney General Endorses Alleged Pyramid Scheme.

[polloloco3]

Utah had their hand in the supplement cookie jar when the FDA tried to regulate them. Utah helped to deregulate the supplement industry and this does not surprise me one bit.

[kgwbuss9]

Someone commented all MLM's are unethical. The truth is most of corporate America is unethical in the way they treat employees. I found MLM to be a way to earn your worth without anyone to stop you from reaching your potential. This Atty. Gen. should be commended for his open mind.

[RestofYourLifeOff]

Good point. ANY business can be unethical regardless or the business model. These "computer chair warriors" blanketly criminalize anything MLM/Network Marketing and site this static anti-MLM rhetoric as an argument. That's ok though, anyone in sales understands the benefit of working for leveraged income as opposed to linear. At a regular job, a boss leverages an employee's time/life and that you never get back.

[liltim5588]

It would be funny if he was booed.

[schizophrenic123]

The dollar bill has got a pyramid on it. It`s a clue. Who are the slaves?

[ahphooey]

The pyramid on the dollar bill has nothing to do with MLMs.

[shaidaaneo]

mlm is a covered up for pyramid scheme

[mrsinclair1977]

@shaidaaneo MLM refers to the compensation plan more then the business model. Still network marketing is legal for a valid reason if done ethically is also the most viable business model for everyone who has the desire to learn and improve as well as treat it as the professional model in the world. Network marketing/direct sales is a $100 billion world wide business that is in nearly every country and keeps improving as time goes on.

[kmpab]

Franchises were heavily scrutinized when they first began but some on here are too young to even know the history of their beginning.Yes, there are companies out there who have done it wrong with ill intent. Usana is not one of them and is highly ethical.

[ahphooey]

That's what reps from all MLMs say.

[kmpab]

Usana is not one of them and is highly ethical What many who join do not understand is that you do have to actually work, it will be hard at first so is anything worthwhile. You will reap your rewards if you do it correctly. There are so many in the company who will help you & they are not even in your "upline" to benefit from you. Mentorship has gone out the window in our society, Teach a Man to Fish & you Feed Him for Life is the bottom line in Usana.

[ahphooey]

ALL MLM's are unethical.

[kmpab]

Corporate America is the real Pyramid scheme, with the President at the top, VP's below, etc down to the "little people" who do all the grunt work without any stock options and are suddenly laid off.

[ahphooey]

Regular businesses are heirarchies, but the difference between those and MLM's is how they function. The pyramid model of an MLM is an unethical recruitment chain, and pyramid pushers know it. They deliberatley confound the two just to blur the lines between pyramid schemes and everything else that is heirarchical. Legal or not legal, MLM schemes are, and I'll repeat, unethical, and they most certainly should be outlawed.

[kmpab]

I have helped my last two companies make millions and I got a few thousand in a bonus and my whole staff was let go....you can have that if that is what you trust in. Do something better with your life than posting on here because you are either ignorant or with another competing MLM and are jealous of the excellent reputation USANA actually has in the industry and with it's associates.

[Mizral]

Hi all I actually had some friends who got involved in Usana. I did not get into it, but I did a great deal of research. Usana espouses 'binary economics' which mathematically is a form of a pyramid scheme. All pyramids will collapse eventually. The successful people in Usana are effectively stealing from those much lower down the ladder every time.

[UsanaEqualsScam]

Lmao @ bizop. You only line the pockets of the people in your upline. The only "business opportunity" for you is to perpetuate this crime on un-suspecting believers below you in your downline. Rot in hell all you USANA associates who know this and try to "help others out." You're only in this for your own financial gain. None of you care about anyone else.

[flightsuit]

Good Lord, this alleged Attorney General must have been drinking a lot more than USANA snake oil! I happen to be an avid user of illegal drugs, and I can tell you from personal experience and observation that for a person to so thoroughly whore himself, --in such a publicly humiliating, credibility-destroying way-- and not realize what he's doing...?

[flightsuit]

Well, that only happens when you've been so f'd up for so long that you completely lose the ability to see yourself through other people's eyes. Scary.

[mwave36]

I'm not going to play these tedious semantic games with you here like on the Yahoo board. I'll assume any reasonable reader can properly interpret the difference between "does not" and "can not".

[rampagesr]

I believe Mark Shurtleff Violated Utah Code 67-16-4

(1) Except as provided in Subsection (3), it is an offense for a public officer, public employee, or legislator, under circumstances not amounting to a violation of Section 63-56-1001 or 76-8-105, to:

(c) use or attempt to use his official position to:

(ii) secure special privileges or exemptions for himself or others;

Len, how about you send me the unedited version on the video so I can post it on Youtube???

[mwave36]

Steve, I'm really trying hard to break the Yahoo Message Board habit (I'm two weeks away from my 30 day chip -- it's getting tough, but I'm hanging in there). The last thing I'm going to do is start playing verbal dodge ball with you here on YouTube. So after today's response, the last word is yours. Knock yourself out.

[mwave36]

I've answered this re: the Video 4-5 times at Yahoo. R U pretending I didn't for the sake of this new audience? I removed the edited video from my site because Usana REQUESTED it out of concern reps might use it for promotional purposes (ironic, isn't it?). You know this. So I ask, again, if I've taken down the edited video from a site with 10,000 visitors/month, why would I give you the full version to post on a site with 10,000,000 visitors/month? Please, tell me why that makes sense?

[mwave36]

As for the homework you've done, I'm sure you do "believe" your personal, biased, interpretation of this regulation, but that doesn't make it correct. Mr. Shurtleff clearly has not gained any "special privileges or exemptions" from the compliments he gave Usana at their convention. What "special privileges or exemptions" could Usana possibly give him?

[rampagesr]

Mark Shurtleff "secured special privileges for USANA" by endorsing USANA.

"I sued the richest man in the world Bill Gates, he's richer than most countries. I was thinking, the only way he could be any more rich is if he became a USANA distributor."

THAT is an endorsement

[rampagesr]

"Maybe when I'm done being an attorney general I'll go out and do something that will really benefit people's lives and become a USANA distributor." - Mark Shurtleff

THAT is an endorsement

[rampagesr]

Len Clements, You wrote on the Yahoo Forum regarding the part you edited out of the video: "the AG complains about his bad knee, says he hadn't taken his Usana joint product yet, takes the bottle out of his pocket and consumes it on stage."

THAT is an endorsement

[rampagesr]

Quote from the FDI report on USANA:

"Paul spoke with Mr. Shurtleff personally on this. Mr. Shurtleff only gave a quick 5 to 10 minute opening remarks speech, and he did not endorse Usana in any way. His speech included welcoming people to the convention and a shortened version of his standard speech, which had nothing to do with Usana."

Paul Murphy and Mark Shurtleff lied.

[rampagesr]

Quote from the FDI report on USANA:

"Paul did confirm that Mr. Shurtleff has never and will never endorse any company or product."

Press Secretary Paul Murphy lied. Mark Shurtleff lied

[mwave36]

Furthermore, I know you don't have the space to post the entire Code here, but the parts you left out, which you said over at Yahoo "may or may not apply" were telling. I can tell you are trying soooo hard to mold and stretch this code to fit your case. It's doesn't. Mr. Shirtleff simply explained to the audience why he thought they were "doing it right". And I'm sure Usana greatly appreciates your continued advertisement of that fact.

[mwave36]

(c) ENDORSEMENTS. AN EMPLOYEE SHALL NOT USE HIS GOVERNMENT POSITION OR TITLE... TO ENDORSE ANY PRODUCT, SERVICE OR ENTERPRISE except:

(1) In furtherance of statutory authority to promote products, services or enterprises; or

(2) As a result of documentation of compliance with agency requirements or standards or as the result of recognition for achievement given under an agency program of recognition for accomplishment in support of the agency's mission.

Note those last 10 words. I rest my case.

[mwave36]

rampagersr has been referred to as Steven R. on the Yahoo board several times. This is now becoming like the Yahoo board -- all personal attacks, no answers to specific questions.

[rampagesr]

"If a pyramid promoter or recruiter tells you that the program has been examined and approved by the Division of Consumer Protection or ANY OTHER STATE AGENCY, know that the claim is NOT TRUE! The Division of Consumer Protection DOES NOT APPROVE ANY MARKETING PROGRAMS. If such representations are made to you, please notify the Division." - Utah Division of Consumer Protection

Even the Consumer Protection Division states that they (OR ANY STATE AGENCY) cannot approve of a marketing plan.

[vze2bwcc]

This is clearly over and above an opinion. The Utah AG shows up at a company convention to pump the associates. Supposedly he consumes a usana product on stage. What a joke. The only bigger joke is Len Clements trying to intimidate by throwing around an identity. Big friggen deal Len, you know SR. Big deal.

Len Clements runs an MLM company that sells Dirt from the Great Salt Lake, ROFL. con man.

[healthbydesign]

Rampage. You have very vivid imagination. Mr Shurtleff simply stated facts and what everybody has known for years: that Usana is a great, reputable company offering fantastic, pharmaceutical grade nutritionals and business opportunity.

I suppose we should thank YOU rampage for endorsing Usana.

[rampagesr]

Perhaps you don't understand the fact that US Attorney Generals are forbidden to make endorsing statements regarding a for-profit company such as USANA.

[mwave36]

Why do you keep saying that? I Just explained the rules pertaining to AG endorsements. Rather than just repeating the same lie over and over, why not provide the evidence of your claim? Where is there any law, statute or regulation that says an AG can't make positive statements about a company in his or her state (public or otherwise)?

[mwave36]

Those companies can't say the AG endorses them, that's true. That's why Usana asked me to take the video down. And as I've already explained on the Yahoo board, if I'm going to remove the edited version, why would I then post the unedited version just because you asked for it? Why do you keep asking for it, and why do you not get how silly you look by doing it?

[rampagesr]

Len Clements, a defender of USANA wrote on his website "Listen to Mr. Shurtleff and you decide if he "approves" of or "endorses" Usana. (link to video) So what do you think. I kind of think he did.*67

*67 I even edited out the part where Mr. Shurtleff endorses, and consumes from the stage, one of Usana's products."

This video was made public by Len Clements!

[givemeabrk]

Give me a break. This is not an endorsement. He makes a series of true statements about a good company. Good for him. Far more credible than SR or Minkow. I think Rotolan__ should be more public about his disparagement so whomever's copyright he has ripped off can challenge him, and the AG if he wants to for that matter.

[rampagesr]

LEN CLEMENTS wrote on his website "67 I even edited out the part where Mr. Shurtleff endorses, and consumes from the stage, one of Usana's products"

LEN CLEMENTS was the one who edited this video and made it public. Even LEN CLEMENTS "ADMITS" that it was an "ENDORSEMENT"

[mwave36]

Steven (rampagersr), why do you think this is bad for Usana? Your comment on the Yahoo board is completely wrong. Companies can't say an AG endorses them (which Usana hasn't -- you and I made this video public and Usana even requested I remove the video from my site) but AG's can say nice things about whomever they wish. All you're doing here is further promoting Usana.

[mwave36]

The AG clearly says his office has checked them out and they are NOT a pyramid! How is promoting this fact helping your anti-Usana agenda? BTW, the reason I even posted this video in my rebuttal to Barry Minkow was to disprove his allegation that the UT AG never said Usana was "doing it right". Remember?

Although I'm baffled by it, I appreciate your support in defense of my rebuttal, and I'm sure Usana appreciates the free and very positive publicity you're giving them :-)

Len

[rampagesr]

Len, Why don't you stand up to your word and make the full unedited version available since you already claimed you "edited out the part where Mr. Shurtleff endorses, and consumes from the stage, one of Usana's products."

This video is evidence that the AG in Utah protects MLM product based pyramid schemes. USANA has given $23,500 in contributions to Mark Shurtleff. What does USANA get in return? A speech at USANA's convention where Mr. Shurtleff endorses USANA.

[vze2bwcc]

wow, interesting that he talks about corporate fraud at the usana convention. I hope he wasnt paid for this endorsement... He said Utah should change its name to "Utana"... give me a break.