Kevin Trudeau avoids jail in contempt case

Infomercial king Kevin Trudeau, who was found in criminal contempt of court in February, won't be going to jail as a federal judge had ordered. An appeals court overturned the sentence, allowing the pitchman to remain free as he continues to battle the government in a civil case alleging he deceived purchasers of one his diet books.

Trudeau, a fixture on late-night TV with his long-form spots promoting his solutions to just about everything, not only won the appeal but got the added bonus of seeing the judge who sentenced him scolded for not following proper legal procedures in handing down the instant conviction on the contempt charge. The appeals court did leave open to the trial judge the option of referring the case for prosecution so that Trudeau could present a defense to the allegations.

"I wrote a book exposing corporate and government corruption," Trudeau told Consumer Ally on Friday. "I talked about it on TV. And now they want to throw me in jail. Everyone can figure it out. I am thrilled that the First Amendment has won. The appeals court said the judge was wrong. This is not the first time he was wrong."