TV pitchman Kevin Trudeau picking a fight with receiver over taxes

TV pitchman Kevin Trudeau claims he is being put in a “trick box” and is picking a fight with the receiver a federal judge put in charge of his assets nearly two years ago.

Trudeau, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison last year after a contempt conviction, complained through his attorneys in court papers last month that the receiver had not filed tax returns for Trudeau, his wife or 19 of Trudeau’s purported businesses.

The receiver countered that Trudeau had refused to turn over control of those businesses, claiming “he either lacked control over them or the entities were empty shells with nothing to turn over.” Rather, the receiver pointed to claims that they were part of a scheme to put Trudeau’s assets beyond the reach of the Federal Trade Commission.

But Tuesday, Trudeau’s attorneys said the receiver had complete access to his records for nearly two years.

“By now, it is too late for the receiver to complain about its apparent inability to do its job,” they wrote. “The bottom line is the receiver has failed to identify any specific Trudeau assets that have not been turned over to the receiver.”

They said Trudeau is faced with the choice to either violate his legal obligation to pay taxes or violate a court order preventing him from personally paying money to the IRS.

The squabble is expected to spill into U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman’s courtroom May 21.

Prosecutors have accused the self-improvement guru of brazenly defying Chicago’s federal courts for more than a decade. As he handed down Trudeau’s 10-year sentence in March 2014, U.S. District Judge Ronald Guzman called Trudeau “deceitful to the very core.” He pointed to a litany of previous fraud and contempt charges and convictions cited by prosecutors.

But Trudeau said at the time he’d undergone a “personal transformation.”

“I have been stripped of all ego, arrogance, defiance and pride and for this I am very thankful, as it has made me a better person,” Trudeau said.