Last September 17, 2006, Republican Gubernatorial Hopeful Dick Devo’s business experience are the cornerstone on his campaign for governor in the state of Michigan.Current Governor and Democrat Jennifer Granholm and the Democratic party main goal is to use those credentials be a major issue for Devo’s campaign this coming election. For about nine years until the year 2002, Dick Devos was the president and co-Chief Executive Officer of Alticor Incorporated, a globally known ADA based maker for nutritional and personal-care products. Alticor’s main advertisement says that “It has helped millions of people to be self-sufficient and independent by selling Alticor products and convincing and sponsoring others to do the same thing.

To the members of the Democratic Party, Dick Devos is the “Amway Guy” who operates and runs a corporation that over the years has earned skepticism and barbs in the pop culture. That may be true, in a sense,because Alticor is Amway’s parent company. One of the campaign jingles of the Democratic party is blaring out this line ” What is this thing called Amway?” that the party has posted on YouTube.com. The short film deploys an old Amway Corporation Promotional Jingle as a backgrpund song that aims to take a swipe
on Dick Devos. Next month, Loki Mulholland’s film entitled “Believe” that will be shown on cinemas is a mock documentary that takes aim at what he says is the “shifty” nature of
Amway and the multilevel marketing market.

It will debut in Lansing on Thursday September 21, 2006 and will open all over Michigan in Mid-October. The marketers for “Believe”
are riding on Dick Devo’s candidacy to generate public curiosity on the independent satire. Loki Mulholland, who lives in Salt Lake City, Utah is a former Amway distributor.

MLM Amway will continue to be the main focal point of the ads by the Democratic Party and Gov. Jennifer Granholm which will mainly undermines Dick Devo’s capacity to be the Governor of Michigan. Dick Devo’s commented that the criticism of Amway equals to criticizing the nearly 4,000 workers of one of the largest employers in West Michigan, whose charitable efforts have helped bring back life and energy at the Grand Rapids. He also added that it is very unseemly and unethical for an incumbent Governor to be that critical of a major manufacturer and more importantly, a Michigan-based manufacturer. It is a bad signal that Michigan is hostile for business. Since Dick Devo’s is asking voters to support
him on the base of his business background, it will be critical on how they will view Amway, which have been co-founded by Devo’s father, nearly 50 years ago.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved a 32 ppm silver composition of the present invention as a broad spectrum surface disinfectant for use in hospitals, medical environments, residential homes, commercial buildings, and businesses. It has been approved for use against some of the most deadly pathogens including: Gram-positive bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus (presently considered to be the most deadly bacteria in U.S. hospitals), Gram-negative bacteria, such as Salmonella choleraesuis (responsible for food poisoning), and nosocomial or hospital-acquired pathogens, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa (often found in burns and cuts).

Silver compositions of the present invention can be sprayed in and around occupied areas without endangering the lives of people. One can disinfect surfaces selected from the group consisting of walls, tables, chairs, light fixtures, bathrooms, glass, porcelain, metal, glazed ceramic, enameled and painted by means of spraying or by means of wiping with a silver composition of the present invention. A preferred method of disinfecting comprises one or more of the steps of cleaning the surface to be disinfected, applying, by means of a spray, mop, sponge, or cloth, a composition of the present invention, thoroughly wetting the area to be disinfected, allowing the surface to remain wet for at least 10 minutes at a temperature of at least 20.degree. C. (time/temperature interrelation can be adjusted via the Arrhenius equation or other means known to one of ordinary skill), and wiping the surface with a clean paper or cloth towel. Compositions for disinfecting surfaces comprise those comprising 5 to 40 ppm silver. A preferred composition of the present invention for disinfecting surfaces comprises (32.+-.3) ppm silver. Another preferred composition of the present invention for disinfecting surfaces comprises (10.+-.2) ppm silver. Another preferred composition of the present invention for disinfecting surfaces comprises (22.+-.2) ppm silver.

A former agent for the Internal Revenue Service(IRS) pleaded guilty to charges from his involvement with the Renaissance The Tax People Inc., which law enforcement authorities say is an elaborate pyramid scheme that markets fake tax-reduction plans. The former IRS agent is Thomas Steelman Sr., a 65 year old Blue Springs resident who have pleaded guilty for the said crime before U.S. District Judge Carlos Murguia to charges of one count of conspiracy to commit the following crimes which is mail fraud,wire fraud and defraud the Internal Revenue Service. Thomas Steelman also pleaded guilty to nine counts of aiding and assisting the filing of illegal tax returns.

Mr. Thomas Steelman is the first one who have been convicted of a crime regarding with the activities of the Renaissance The Tax People, a Topeka-based company which sells tax plans and have already recruited thousands of members nationwide. The multi-level marketing company, which is under investigation by both state and federal authorities. The company offers unsuspecting victims on how to create home-based enterprises and raked in thousands of dollars in tax cuts by selling the tax reduction plans and encouraging others to join the company.

Prosecutors said that Thomas Steelman admitted that he conspired with others to prepare the tax deductions which takes place from November 1997 to January 2001 and which have defrauded the Internal Revenue Service of about $120,000 dollars in both individual and corporate income taxes and have scammed clients of about $100 million dollars. A spokeswoman for the U.S Attorney’s Office in Wichita Kena Rice said that there are no additional details were available on how the prosecutors were able to calculate the $100 million figure that were scammed out of the investors in the company.
In court Friday, Thomas Steelman admitted to the Judge that he have advised the clients to avail of the excessive W-4 exemptions, which have ultimately result in their owing a big federal income taxes at the end of the year. Mr. Steelman also admitted that he have helped their clients overstate their Schedule C business losses which have resulted in the excessive tax cuts. According to the Marketing advertisement by the Renaissance Company, their tax team which includes Mr. Steelman which were described as a “meritoriously recognized IRS Revenue Agent for 28 years,”. Prosecutors for the case said that the company have used Steelman’s credentials so that the fears and apprehensions of would be investors in the company would be allayed.

Thomas Steelman could spend five years in prison and pay $250,000 dollars in fines on the conspiracy charges and another three years in the penitentiary and pay $100,000 dollars in fines for the remaining charges. Scott Rask, the Assistant United States Attorney have told Judge Murguia that the government would recommend a sentence to Steelman on the lowend of the sentencing guidelines if Thomas Steelman cooperates with investigators regrading the case. Judge Murguia will handed down the sentence on October 21, 2006.

The Company was founded about seven years ago by a Topeka Native and a former marine, Michael Cooper. Back in 1994, a Kansas attorney general accused Michael Cooper and another accomplice of running an unlawful pyramid scheme by lying to investors that they will reaped in huge rewards if they will recruit customers for a company who sell Topeka Specialty foods called Truy Special Incorporated. The civil case was settled back in 1996 when Michael Cooper and his accomplice agreed, without any admission of guilt, that they will not violate any state consumer protection laws in the near future.

Both the Company and its founder will remain the accused in the lawsuit that was filed about 18 months agi by the Attorney General of the State of Kansas Carla Stovall. Last May, A Judge at Shawnee County issued a TRO which forbids Renaissance from operating in Kansas and have freeze all bank accounts that belongs to Michael Cooper. The case is still awaiting for its trial date. A spokesman for Attorney General Carla Stovall’s office said that Thomas Steelman’s guilty plea on the case that there is some substance on the case that they have been pursuing.

Michael Cooper and the Officials of the company have denied the allegations of wrongdoing. The investigations on Renaissance is a joint effort multiple federal and state agencies, including the tax division of the Justice Department, the IRS, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Kansas attorney general’s office.

On November 9, 2006, the owners of Neways, an internationally known Multi-Level Marketing business based in Springville, United States has decided to sold all of their business interests, including Neways, just days before entering the state federal prison to fulfill the sentences that have been handed to them by the Judge in their Tax evasion case. According to the Vice President of Neways for Human Resources and Organizational Development, James Watson, the company has been snapped up by Golden Gate Capital, a San Francisco based private equity company in a sale that have been close last Wednesday, November 8, 2006. The Financial details regarding the company have not been made public. Neways has been well-known internationally for making both household and personal care products that are then sold by the company’s distributors.

There are about 1,300 people that are in Neways’ employ all throughout the world including 550 people in Utah and have branches in about 23 countries. Former Husband and Wife Thomas and Leslie DeeAnn Mower founded the company back in 1987. The two, who owned about 50% percent of the company separated in July 2000. Just last year, the Mowers were sentenced by a jury to one count of conspiracy to defraud tax officials and six counts of tax evasion from an incident back in 2003. According to investigators, the two cash in checks about a total of $3.2 million dollars without reporting them to the IRS, which resulted in a $1 million dollars tax loss for the IRS.

Thomas and Leslie Mower were ordered by the court to surrender to federal officials last Monday, November 6, 2006 to start their prison sentences. Thomas Mower was sentenced by the court to about two years and nine months in federal prison and a fine of $75,000 dollars. On the other hand, Leslie Mower was sentenced to about three months in federal prison and ordered to pay a fine of $60,000 dollars. They will undergo a 36 months of supervise sentence when they got out of prison. In a released statement the pair said that selling Neways was one of the most difficult decisions that they have ever had to make. But they firmly believe that it would be for the best interests of everybody to push through with the sale of the company as this whole issue not only has affected them but also their customers and employees who have been supportive through the whole crisis.

Even in the time of Dick Devos’ father, the CEO and Co-founder of Amway Corporation Rick Devos, the company’s method of recruiting distributors and sales people to their down lines and marketing activities has been rather questionable and controversial.
 
A number of well-known people including former Presidents of the United States like Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan have made Amway as the prime example of an American business that succeeds and produces results through hard work and good marketing strategy.

Their products have been well received by consumers and Consumer Reports Magazine has even rated the cleaning products of Alticor, Amway’s parent company, as above average in their effectiveness as a cleaning tool.

But the situation is very different before as Alticor and their Internet based owned subsidiary Quixtar have become a butt of jokes on late night television shows and in some Internet Consumer advocate sites and even some regulatory divisions of the government saying that the distribution method of the company known as multi level marketing or pyramiding only benefit those who are in the top of the heap.
 
About two people among 1,000 distributors of Amway will only make $47,000 dollars per year according to the promotional dialogues that have been set up by the company and expenses will begin to pile up. New recruits to the company have to pay $270 dollars for their initial membership and for other training materials that they will receive. Their “sponsors”, those people who have convinced them to join the multilevel company, will advise them to buy the training materials and attend the seminars and conventions that Amway will hold. The materials are already revenue for their “sponsors”, who belong in the upper bracket of the company.

The materials of Amway state that these instructional materials are not required and the newly enrolled members are not obligated to buy them but according to some former distributors of the company their “sponsors” told them that these materials are vital so that they can succeed in their business.
 
Because of this, some members have lost money like Joanne and Mike from Livonia who had worked as Quixtar Distributors for about half a year in 2002 while they are living near Atlanta. They lost about $3,000 dollars before deciding that they had enough. Her Brother, Paul Bortell of Plymouth who had been their “sponsor” has decided to quit after four years because he kept losing money amounting to $4,000 dollars on those four years that he had been a distributor for the company.

Another distributor, Mike McKenna of Livonia had commented that he had lost money in the three years that he had worked as a distributor before quitting his job and added that those higher than him in the company had pressured him to buy about a dozen tapes which were motivational tapes every month, a book that deals with how to succeed in life and tickets to weekly conventions and seminars at least once a month.

Although that is the case, some distributors have still remained active and say that they are happy about it like Kathy Eiden of Plymouth. She said that they would be in this business as long as they live and she really likes the product. According to the new president of Alticor Doug Devos, who has replaced his brother Dick, said that Alticor does not promise immediate wealth and if the distributor is willing to work for it, they will be very successful.
 
But that line by Doug Devos seems to contradict on one weekly recruitment and motivational meeting that were held in Southfield in late August that is promising that distributors will acquire wealth even if they are working part time

Loki Mulholland is responsible for an independent movie titled “Believe” that is critical to direct sales companies or in the other words, Multilevel Marketing Companies like Amway Corporation.
 
He did not realize back in 2005 that he was polishing up a satirical mocumentary which criticized founder Dick Devos who was thinking of running for the Governor in the state of Michigan.
 
But the Utah based filmmaker saw a glimmer of chance to influence the upcoming political debate between the two candidates and ride on the momentum of the buzz that Dick Devos’ candidacy is generating, so he brought the movie to the state of Michigan for release.
 
Both Mulholland and the lone cast member on his mockumentary, Danor Gerald, hosted a free showing of the movie Thursday evening, September 28, 2006 at the NGC Theater in Michigan for an audience of about 25 people.
 
The movie was promoted as a “lighthearted film” yet it is filled with satirical moments that surely open up what the world of multilevel marketing is to the masses.
 
The movie “believe” is the first film that Loki Mulholland has made. Mulholland is 34 years old and resides in Orem, Utah, near Salt Lake City. According to Mulholland, he and his partners are planning to show the mockumentary to a much broader audience on October 13, 2006 in Grand Rapids, Flint and Lansing Michigan.
 
Detroit and Arbor will have the chance to watch the film on October 20, 2006. Other cities in the state of Michigan will be considered if the film generates considerable interest on the first showings.
 
The mockumentary tells about the unsuccessful life of Loki Mulholland as a former distributor for Amway. The film has a budget of less than $500,000 dollars back in 2004 and was made about a year before Dick Devos announced his intention of running for the position of Governor in Michigan.
 
Mulholland is not secretive about his apparent disliked for Amway and for Amway’s parent company, Alticor, along with other multilevel marketing companies like Herbalife International,
Mary Kay and Shaklee Corporation to name a few. But in fairness to those companies, he does not mention any of the companies name other than a quick reference to Amway at the end of the film.
 
Mulholland added that what he is criticizing as a whole is the industry and the composition itself, not the people who make a living out of Multilevel Marketing.  He says that he knows that people are only doing the thing they know that will earn them a living in these hard days.
 
The film also portrays things that Amway critics have pointed out over the years such as obsessive-like Amway conventions with bewildering scenes like stacks of motivational tapes that are being shown to attendees and over enthusiastic people cajoling others to join them in this ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ opportunity.
 
If anyone sees “Believe” they will realize that it really does have very few political references and it never mentions anyone that is connected to Amway. In reality the movie will probably be only a minimal factor in persuading those who will vote in the November elections.
 
Incumbent Governor Jennifer Granholm supporters Dan and Peggy Graver of Haslett have taken the time to watch the film and commented that they enjoyed the film although it was not what they were expecting.
 
They thought that it would tackle issues directly with Amway as a company all throughout the film because they really do not believe in Amway and were surprised that it did not.
 
Dick Devos, the president of both Amway and Alticor from the year 1993 up to 2002, has dismissed the mockumentary when he was asked about it. John Truscott, the spokesman for the Devos campaign, said that Mulholland is just riding on the popularity of the gubernatorial race.
 

They were found guilty of collaborating to halt the IRS in their assessment and the collection of income tax returns. The Grand Jury also convicted Thomas and Leslie Mower of income tax evasion and Atty. Thompson of impeding the administration of the internal revenue laws. The three were accused of scheming to hide from the Internal Revenue Service a total of more than $1 million dollars of the company’s gross receipts, along with the more than $3 million dollars in commission that the couple received from their distributors from the United States, Australia and Malaysian Companies.

U.S. District Court Judge Dale Kimball sentenced Thomas Mower to two years and nine months in prison and with a penalty of $75,000 dollars. He will serve a three years of supervised release when he completes his term. His wife, Leslie was sentenced to two years and three months in prison and has been fined the amount of $60,000 dollars. She will also be supervised for three years after her released. James Thompson was sentenced to one year and one day in prison. He will be under supervised once release from prison for about two years.

According to United States Attorney Brett L. Tolman that nobody wants to pay taxes but most of the Americans are paying their dues honestly and regularly. This Criminal Tax Laws are designed to protect the public interests and welfare and preserving the integrity and dignity of the tax collection system of the nation. There will be serious punishments for those who will not follow these rules and pay their dues. The company sells supplements, personal care items and household cleaners as their products not only in the United States but all over the world like in their markets in Australia, Malaysia and in about two dozen countries globally.
ounders of Neways Inc., a multinational company, The Husband and Wife Team of Thomas E. Mower of Springville, Utah and his wife, Leslie D. Mower of Payson, Utah and their corporate lawyer, Atty. James L. Thompson of CHANDLER, Arizona were sentenced into federal imprisonment last Wednesday, September 13, 2006 by the United States District Court located in Salt Lake City, Utah. Thomas and Leslie Mower formed Neways Inc. back in 1987. Thomas was the CEO, Leslie was the Chief Financial Officer(CFO). James Thompson was hired as the legal counsel for the company in the fall of 1995 up to the summer of 1997.

After all the confusion and furor regarding the raids conducted by the Crime Investigation Department of Andra Pradesh, Amway India Enterprises announce that they will now resume business after they have obtained an Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) on Friday, September 29th, 2006 against the raids that are being conducted by the Crime Investigation Department.

According to the Head of Amway’s Corporate Communications Rajat Banerji, The High Court’s order regarding the prima facie provisions of the Prize Chits and Money Circulation Schemes (banning) Act of 1978 states that it does not apply to Amway India Enterprises and ordered the authorities to cease interfering on the business of Amway and its credited distributors. Mr. Banerji defended their company, saying that the personal dispute of one of their distributors has caused this whole ruckus.

The Crime Investigation Department has began raiding the offices of Amway because of a complaint filed by a person named Satyanarayana resulting in the closure of about nine offices of Amway India Enterprises. Mr. Rajat Banerji added that Satyanarayana was involved in a dispute on his wife, who is an Amway distributor, Lakshmi, who had filed against Satyanarayana a dowry case which resulted in jail time for the man. He was just taking revenge on his wife by complaining against one of his wife’s co-workers and other distributors of Amway which included her sister and her brother-in-law that and they were coercing him to recruit people to be dealers for the company. although this is virtually impossible as Satyanarayana is not even a distributor of the company.

The police officers just got involved in the case without even thinking ahead as they are already involved in an investigation of some of the activities of other Multilevel Marketing Companies. The sister and brother-in-law of Lakshmi were arrested but granted bail. The Senior Legal Manager of Amway India Enterprises, Yoginder Singh said that the raids conducted by the police were an unwelcome event for the company. He further added that they are strongly against on the manner the police conducted the raids on their offices.

They have virtually ignored Amway’s reputation as a respectable company. They should have asked for a clarification first from the company before plunging ahead with their plans. They have also strongly denied the allegation that Amway is forcing their distributors to recruit members and the allegation that they are in a money circulation scheme. The raids have damaged the good name and reputation that the company has nurtured and cultivated over the years.

September 25, 2006 in Hyderabad, India, investigators from the Criminal Investigation Department raided the offices of Amway, a well-known multilevel marketing company. The raids were conducted on Amway offices branches located in Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Guntur, Nellor, Tirupati and other towns after people have filed complaints about cheating by some of the distributors and seized the records in the Andhra Pradesh Office of Amway and its other offices in India.

The state police have recorded cases and complaints against the company and persons that have connections with Amway India Enterprises and its operations in those areas that have been mentioned under sections of IPC, like the Section 420 and the prize chits and the Money Circulation Scheme (prevention) Act of 1978.  It have been the first instance in the country and anywhere else around the world that Amway Corporation, which operates direct marketing opportunities by offering unbelievable incentives or commissions to their members upon entry of new members in their down line has entangled themselves with law enforcement authorities.

An officer with the Criminal Investigation Department has commented that the complainants have alleged that Amway has cheated them by promising them a huge income and it did not happened. Amway encourages and directs members by organizing conventions. Multilevel company Amway encourages would be members by holding large conventions and then in that convention, convinces the members to pay as much as Rs.10, 000 up to Rs.15, 000 as distributor fees in promise of a healthy return of investment in the near future, but that will depend on the number of members that the potential member would be able to attract to the organization. The distributors will also be categorized into ranks in the company like silver, gold and platinum ranks depending on the number of their recruits.

But those who have complained against the company have alleged that a large quantity of people at the bottom of the ranks were exploited and hustled out of their hard earned investments. Nobody from the marketing company Amway was available to comment on the allegations and the case that have been filed against them.

Multilevel marketing company Amway is a well-known leader in the direct selling market and says that they have over three million independent business (IBO’s) that are located in almost 80 countries and territories all over the world like in the United States where it enjoys a large following despite recent criticisms on the company in the past years.