Greg Caton
Encyclopedia
Gregory James Caton is an American businessman, inventor, manufacturer and promoter of various herbal products, the main one being Cansema
which is claimed to cure skin cancer
, although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) banned it in 2003 as worthless. Caton is the founder of Alpha Omega Labs, a manufacturer of natural health care products, that currently distributs internationally from Guayaquil, Ecuador.
, a community college in the San Fernando Valley
, and then served in the US Navy as a cryptologist from 1975 through 1978. Caton has been an avid amateur and short wave radio operator.
(MLM) company. The firm traded briefly on the NASDAQ
stock exchange.
Nutrition for Life entered into a business agreement with Kevin Trudeau
After the change of ownership of Consumer Express, Caton authored a book (which was since withdrawn) on his version of the alleged fraud surrounding this transaction. Down-Line News reviewed this work in February 1993 on their website. Caton filed a suit against Kevin Trudeau
in the US Fifth District Court of Appeals, in response to a libel suit by Trudeau in 1996 over Caton's aforementioned book.
In November 1996, Caton filed for Chapter 7
bankruptcy in response to the judgment. Shortly afterward, the company was subject to a class action lawsuit filed in Harris County, Texas. Nutrition for Life filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on July 8, 2003.
Caton then took up a project to detail the issues associated with multi-level marketing on a site entitled MLM Credit Bureau. He was featured in an online article by Ami Mills on the Metroactive website in 1996 regarding his work.
"James Carr". Alpha Omega Labs became a provider of over 300 alternative health products with 14 distributors around the world, before its closure by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) in 2003.
Lumen Foods was featured in an article by the online newspaper World Net Daily, alleging that the firm was under seizure of its accounts due to fraudulent activity. Caton vigorously refuted the claim, which he alleged was related to issues surrounding the Y2K panic.
In early 2000, Lumen Foods reportedly "broke ranks" with the health food industry when it was reported that it would actively include Genetically modified organism
(GMO) products in its offerings.
Alpha Omega was the topic of an exposé by Business Week in their review of the book Natural Causes.
The review in Business Week references the case of Sue Gilliatt, a nurse from Indianapolis who claimed she used Cansema
, as well as a product named "H3O" (also sold by Caton) for skin cancer on her nose and that they burned off her nose (in the lawsuit, H3O was primarily blamed). Caton contested Gilliatt's assertions, claiming that due to the individual's use of additional alternative medicine, exclusive attribution of damages from H3O could not be determined. Furthermore, according to Caton, Gilliatt contradicted herself several times in her various court testimonies. Caton even claims that Gilliatt's nose appears to have been surgically removed, citing photographs. The use of escharotics (caustic pastes) such as Cansema to treat skin cancer is "unproven" and can have "serious consequences", according to dermatologists.
Caton filed for a writ of habeas corpus
based upon ineffective counsel in 2005. This was denied with prejudice by the courts.
in the summer of 2007. Alpha Omega Labs were reopened in June 2008.
Caton's probation violation was reported to Interpol
, and was placed in their database; it was reported on Interpol website on 30 September 2008. In February 2009, Caton was featured in Parade Magazines "On the Run In America" as an Interpol international fugitive.
On 3 December 2009, Caton was arrested at a checkpoint in Ecuador and held in prison. What followed was a complex set of legal manoeuvres involving multiple parties. According to Cathryn Caton, his wife, these manoeuvres included various members of the Ecuadorian judiciary and Police officials. A judicial hearing on the case was scheduled in Guayaquil, Ecuador on 14 December 2009.
Caton is currently imprisoned in the US. He was sentenced in a Louisiana court in May 2010 to serve the remainder of his probation (24 months) in prison. He filed a motion of appeal on June 23, 2011, under the provision that the court failed to consider sentencing guidelines. This appeal was denied
application in 2008 for a food preservative
Cansema
Cansema is a brand name of a popular alternative cancer treatment. The product is commonly classified as an escharotic—that is, a topical paste which burns and destroys skin tissue and leaves behind a thick, black scar called an eschar...
which is claimed to cure skin cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
, although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Food and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...
(FDA) banned it in 2003 as worthless. Caton is the founder of Alpha Omega Labs, a manufacturer of natural health care products, that currently distributs internationally from Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Early life and education
Caton attended Los Angeles Valley CollegeLos Angeles Valley College
Los Angeles Valley College is a community college located in the Valley Glen district of Los Angeles, California in the east-central San Fernando Valley. The school is a part of the Los Angeles Community College District....
, a community college in the San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
, and then served in the US Navy as a cryptologist from 1975 through 1978. Caton has been an avid amateur and short wave radio operator.
First businesses
Caton founded Consumer Express in 1984. which later became Nutrition for Life, a multi-level mailorderMulti-level marketing
Multi-level marketing is a marketing strategy in which the sales force is compensated not only for sales they personally generate, but also for the sales of others they recruit, creating a downline of distributors and a hierarchy of multiple levels of compensation...
(MLM) company. The firm traded briefly on the NASDAQ
NASDAQ
The NASDAQ Stock Market, also known as the NASDAQ, is an American stock exchange. "NASDAQ" originally stood for "National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations". It is the second-largest stock exchange by market capitalization in the world, after the New York Stock Exchange. As of...
stock exchange.
Nutrition for Life entered into a business agreement with Kevin Trudeau
Kevin Trudeau
Kevin Mark Trudeau is an American author, radio personality, and infomercial salesman best known for promoting alternative medicine. A number of his television infomercials and several of his books, including Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You to Know About, allege that both the U.S...
After the change of ownership of Consumer Express, Caton authored a book (which was since withdrawn) on his version of the alleged fraud surrounding this transaction. Down-Line News reviewed this work in February 1993 on their website. Caton filed a suit against Kevin Trudeau
Kevin Trudeau
Kevin Mark Trudeau is an American author, radio personality, and infomercial salesman best known for promoting alternative medicine. A number of his television infomercials and several of his books, including Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You to Know About, allege that both the U.S...
in the US Fifth District Court of Appeals, in response to a libel suit by Trudeau in 1996 over Caton's aforementioned book.
In January 1996, Kevin Trudeau filed a libel suit against Caton in Illinois state court based on statements Caton made in a book and on an Internet website. Caton removed the action to federal court, but on Trudeau's motion, the action was remanded. Thereafter, Caton failed to respond to Trudeau's claims and the court entered a default and noticed an evidential hearing. On June 5, 1996, after a hearing, the court rendered a default judgment against Caton, awarding Trudeau $5 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages.
In November 1996, Caton filed for Chapter 7
Chapter 7, Title 11, United States Code
Chapter 7 of the Title 11 of the United States Code governs the process of liquidation under the bankruptcy laws of the United States...
bankruptcy in response to the judgment. Shortly afterward, the company was subject to a class action lawsuit filed in Harris County, Texas. Nutrition for Life filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on July 8, 2003.
Caton then took up a project to detail the issues associated with multi-level marketing on a site entitled MLM Credit Bureau. He was featured in an online article by Ami Mills on the Metroactive website in 1996 regarding his work.
Lumen Foods, Alpha Omega Labs and Herbologics
Caton started Alpha Omega Labs in 1995 using the pseudonymPseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
"James Carr". Alpha Omega Labs became a provider of over 300 alternative health products with 14 distributors around the world, before its closure by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Food and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...
(FDA) in 2003.
Lumen Foods was featured in an article by the online newspaper World Net Daily, alleging that the firm was under seizure of its accounts due to fraudulent activity. Caton vigorously refuted the claim, which he alleged was related to issues surrounding the Y2K panic.
In early 2000, Lumen Foods reportedly "broke ranks" with the health food industry when it was reported that it would actively include Genetically modified organism
Genetically modified organism
A genetically modified organism or genetically engineered organism is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. These techniques, generally known as recombinant DNA technology, use DNA molecules from different sources, which are combined into one...
(GMO) products in its offerings.
"They have it all wrong", said Lumen Foods' President, Greg Caton. "FDA, USDA, and EPA have all done exhaustive research into their safety and have found nothing that remotely suggests that either the consumer or the environment are at risk from GM seed", he said.This earned significant attention from non-GMO advocates. Caton spoke at Cornell University's sponsored symposium, Informing the Dialogue about Agricultural Biotechnology, in November 1999. His topic was GMO Controversy & the Whole Foods Industry: Why Wholesale Condemnation of Agricultural Biotechnology Hurts our Most Ingredient-Sensitive Markets Lumen Foods reversed their position later in the year, supposedly from pressure by their customers.
Alpha Omega was the topic of an exposé by Business Week in their review of the book Natural Causes.
The review in Business Week references the case of Sue Gilliatt, a nurse from Indianapolis who claimed she used Cansema
Cansema
Cansema is a brand name of a popular alternative cancer treatment. The product is commonly classified as an escharotic—that is, a topical paste which burns and destroys skin tissue and leaves behind a thick, black scar called an eschar...
, as well as a product named "H3O" (also sold by Caton) for skin cancer on her nose and that they burned off her nose (in the lawsuit, H3O was primarily blamed). Caton contested Gilliatt's assertions, claiming that due to the individual's use of additional alternative medicine, exclusive attribution of damages from H3O could not be determined. Furthermore, according to Caton, Gilliatt contradicted herself several times in her various court testimonies. Caton even claims that Gilliatt's nose appears to have been surgically removed, citing photographs. The use of escharotics (caustic pastes) such as Cansema to treat skin cancer is "unproven" and can have "serious consequences", according to dermatologists.
Federal conviction
In 2003, United States Federal agents from the joint task force (including U.S. FDA, Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms and Tobacco and local law enforcement) raided Caton's offices, factory and home. As a result of the raid, Caton pled guilty in 2004 and was sentenced to 33 months in prison for weapons possession by a felon and for defrauding customers and violating FDA regulations. Caton had received a previous felony conviction for counterfeiting in 1990.Caton filed for a writ of habeas corpus
Habeas corpus
is a writ, or legal action, through which a prisoner can be released from unlawful detention. The remedy can be sought by the prisoner or by another person coming to his aid. Habeas corpus originated in the English legal system, but it is now available in many nations...
based upon ineffective counsel in 2005. This was denied with prejudice by the courts.
Reestablishment of Alpha Omega Labs in Ecuador
On 5 June 2006, after serving his sentence, Greg Caton was released on three years probation with specific restrictions against possession of firearms or manufacture of non-FDA approved materials. Caton and his family relocated to EcuadorEcuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
in the summer of 2007. Alpha Omega Labs were reopened in June 2008.
Re-arrest and extradition
On 27 October 2007, Caton was found in violation of the terms of his probation. In September 2008, a filing was made with the U.S. patent office in which Caton expressed a fear of arrest for violation of his probation, if he returned to the US.Caton's probation violation was reported to Interpol
Interpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
, and was placed in their database; it was reported on Interpol website on 30 September 2008. In February 2009, Caton was featured in Parade Magazines "On the Run In America" as an Interpol international fugitive.
On 3 December 2009, Caton was arrested at a checkpoint in Ecuador and held in prison. What followed was a complex set of legal manoeuvres involving multiple parties. According to Cathryn Caton, his wife, these manoeuvres included various members of the Ecuadorian judiciary and Police officials. A judicial hearing on the case was scheduled in Guayaquil, Ecuador on 14 December 2009.
Caton is currently imprisoned in the US. He was sentenced in a Louisiana court in May 2010 to serve the remainder of his probation (24 months) in prison. He filed a motion of appeal on June 23, 2011, under the provision that the court failed to consider sentencing guidelines. This appeal was denied
Patents
Greg Caton submitted a patentPatent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
application in 2008 for a food preservative
- Patent application title: Lower alkyl carboxylic acid moieties as organoleptic stabilizers and preservatives of food and beverages and for preventing oxidative corrosion of metals; Inventors: Gregory James Caton - Agents: WEINGARTEN, SCHURGIN, GAGNEBIN & LEBOVICI LLP - Assignees: Intellectual Concepts, LLC - Origin: BOSTON, MA US IPC8 Class: AA23L33517FI USPC Class: 4263303
Authored works
- Caton, G.J.; Lumen: Food For A New Age, Calcasieu Graphics & Pressworks, 1986. ISBN 0-939955-00-8
- Caton, Greg; MLM Fraud: A Practical Handbook for the Network Marketing Professional, (self-published), 1990. ISBN 0-939955-03-2
Additional reading
- Hurley, Dan, Natural Causes: Death, Lies, and Politics in America's Vitamin and Herbal Supplement Industry. Broadway Publishers (2007) ISBN 0-7679-2042-2