Citron Research: Usana Health Sciences Operating Illegally in China

Allegations of cheating in China are nothing new for Usana Health Sciences (NYSE: USNA).  In 2007, the Fraud Discovery Institute accused Usana of doing business illegally in China.  The country has very strict laws against multi-level marketing (MLM). It is strictly forbidden. Yet for years Usana has been getting around …

Koss Settles Claims Against Former Auditor Grant Thornton

Cary Spivak – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Koss Corp. collected $8.5 million from Grant Thornton, the accounting firm that audited Koss’ books during a portion of the time that Sujata “Sue” Sachdeva was stealing millions from the company. The payment made Wednesday settles a lawsuit filed in Cook County, Ill., in …

Is Usana Running an Illegal Pyramid Scheme?

All good multi-level marketing companies have one thing in common: They fail to disclose enough information to allow consumers and regulators to determine if they are in the business of recruiting or selling products. They disclose just enough facts and figures to make it appear that they are being transparent. …

Is Multi-Level Marketing a Legitimate Business Method?

Defenders of multi-level marketing (MLM) are often heard saying that it’s a legitimate business method! Even government regulators say MLM is legitimate. And it is true that state and federal governments in the United States generally allow multi-level marketing companies to operate with little oversight. This is despite the fact …

Herbalife Under FTC Investigation? Or Not?

Today the New York Post reported that Herbalife (HLF) is under investigation by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and that has sent the stock price down more than 10%. The newspaper bases this story on a Freedom of Information request done by the newspaper. It says, regarding consumer complaints received …

Are Herbalife and FHTM Similar?

With yesterday’s shutdown of Fortune Hi Tech Marketing, consumers have been asking if Herbalife is a similar operation. Last year Herbalife’s business model was called into question by David Einhorn, and then the company was accused of being a pyramid scheme by Bill Ackman. Naturally, Herbalife denied being a pyramid …

Anne Coughlan is Wrong on Herbalife

At yesterday’s big Herbalife investor day, the company paraded around Anne T. Coughlan, a marketing professor at Northwestern University, who proudly proclaimed that Herbalife is not a pyramid scheme. No, it is a legitimate multi-level marketing company. In July, Coughlan published this paper on Herbalife, concluding that Herbalife is squeaky …

Herbalife Documentary by Herb Greenberg: Selling the American Dream

Herb Greenberg, a stocks commentator for CNBC did a ten-month investigation of multi-level marketing company Herbalife. Its conclusion is this 20 minute documentary, and the timing couldn’t be better. Herbalife has been accused of being a pyramid scheme again, this time by Bill Ackman of Pershing Square. Despite the fact …

More on Herbalife, Bill Ackman, and Law Enforcement

As we patiently wait for Herbalife’s “analyst and investor meeting” on January 10 to address the pyramid scheme allegations made by short seller Bill Ackman, there is plenty of good discussion of HLF around the world wide web. Kid Dynamite said Bill Ackman is wrong about Herbalife, citing that: HLF  …