Here's an L.A. Times article from 1995 that allegedly identifies current Affliction VP Todd Beard as a defrauding lout who preyed on the elderly to line his pockets. Notable quote:
Two Orange County men were sentenced Thursday for defrauding more than 1,000 mostly elderly people from across the nation of more than $10 million.
The case was one of the largest prosecutions so far in Operation Disconnect, a federal crackdown on boiler rooms that sell bogus investments or goods costing far more than their value. The FBI last year made 240 arrests involving boiler-room scams in 13 states, including California.
"This represents a continuing effort at weeding out the scurrilous telemarketers who prey on old people," said Assistant U.S. Atty. Thomas Brown.
Todd Beard, 30, of Huntington Beach pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison, plus about $9,000 in fines and restitution to victims of the scam.
Dean Bowman, 35, of San Juan Capistrano, was sentenced to six months in federal prison after pleading guilty to concealing a felony from authorities. He also was ordered to pay about $4,500 in fines and restitution.
The two are the first of nine defendants who are expected to be sentenced today and on April 3 for their part in an operation the FBI raided in March, 1993.
Brown said the scam involved dozens of telephone salespeople at the four companies who persuaded people to buy home safety products for far more than they were worth by telling victims they had won expensive prizes.
To collect the prizes, victims were told, they had to buy the products, such as bacterial spray, an emergency kit or flame retardant spray. Victims were told to send hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars for prizes and products worth much less.
"They targeted the elderly because they were the most vulnerable," Brown said. "They were usually partially or fully senile, widowed and alone with no close family around. . . . They grew up in an era when if someone promised you something, more times than not they followed through, so they trusted."
Bowman's role was to make the initial calls to potential victims. He earned the company $110,000. Beard made follow-up calls to people who had been duped once to try and dupe them again. He brought in $350,000.
If this is somehow a different Todd Beard than the one involved in Affliction, I'll correct the record. From what I've been able to gather in reading about him, however, this appears quite legitimate.
And if this is all true, why on earth would the Couture's ever want to go into business with him? I'm not suggesting up front there weren't opportunities for mutual gain, but that working with someone carrying the sort of liabilities Beard offers can be very risky to Couture and his brand.
