Jeff Sessions' Successor Had Advised Company Accused of Scam
Matthew Whitaker, appointed acting attorney general on Wednesday after Jeff Sessions resigned, was a paid advisory-board member of an invention-promotion company shut down by federal regulators last year as an alleged scam.
The Federal Trade Commission last year accused World Patent Marketing Inc., of Miami Beach, Fla., of scamming would-be inventors by charging them thousands of dollars to patent and promote their inventions. The company “provided almost no service in return” and threatened people who complained, the regulator said.
The FTC alleged that the scheme, which it said was promoted through “bogus ‘success stories’ and testimonials,” began in early 2014. The agency found that consumers lost about $26 million; some allegedly ended up in debt or lost their life savings.
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A December 2014 company press release quoted Mr. Whitaker as saying: “As a former US Attorney, I would only align myself with a first class organization. World Patent Marketing goes beyond making statements about doing business ‘ethically’ and translates them into action.” World Patent Marketing promotional videos and photos show Mr. Whitaker reviewing invention ideas with the company’s founder, and the FTC included in court exhibits an email from Mr. Whitaker acting on behalf of the company and threatening a customer who complained with potential “serious civil and criminal consequences.” The August 2015 email was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.
More..
https://www.wsj.com/articles/jeff-sessions-successor-had-advised-company-accused-of-scam-1541638397 (paid subscription)
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but of course..
= new reply since forum marked as read
I think that Sessions, as much as I dislike him, was the only member of the cabinet who did not see his office as a means to enrich himself.
And, welcome to DU!
