Juliette Kimoto, Former Mrs. Nevada Scammed Thousands, Says FTC

The Federal Trade Commission says they’ve halted the fraudulent online operations of Juliette Kimoto, a former Nevada beauty queen that allegedly duped thousands of people into spending millions of dollars on her schemes.

According to the FTC, Kimoto, a devout Mormon and mother of six, owned four companies that offered a “bogus government grants service” and diet pills that made false claims about endorsements by Oprah Winfrey and scientific research.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg regarding the Kimoto family however.

Kyle Kimoto, the 36-year-old husband of the former 2006 Mrs. Nevada, is currently serving a federal prison sentence of 29 years, ordered by an Illinois federal judge in September 2008.

His telemarketing scam, which is separate from the FTC’s claims about his wife, involved making over 12 million phone calls to consumers with weak credit histories and conning them to sign up for a bogus credit card.

Authorities said he victimized over 300,000 people out of $43 million. He was ordered to pay restitution of about $35 million. The FTC said litigation is continuing against him.

In Mrs Kimoto’s case, she’s been ordered to pay over $90,000 in fees and to turn over various personal assets – such as jewelry, a piano, and a 1967 Chevy Camaro – worth over $220,000.

While that amount is minuscule in comparison to $29.7 million she’s charged with nabbing, it’s an amount explained as all she’s able to afford.

“The judgement is based on the ability to pay,” Lois Greisman, the associate director of the FTC’s Division of Marketing Practices told the Daily Finance.

In terms of prison time, the FTC says they’re working on that for Juliette Kimoto as well.

via ABC