Draft:Kevin Trudeau's Global Information Network (GIN)

• Comment: The lead [...] should be an even summary of what reliable media coverage we can find on the topic.

The "cult" section is borderline POV and should be rewritten to be fact-centric. [...]

Every claim that might be even slightly controversial or questionable needs to be backed by a source, ASUKITE 15:05, 30 August 2024 (UTC) Grad0507 (talk) 17:39, 10 September 2024 (UTC)

• Comment: Much of the article is unreferenced, and contains multiple paragraphs and sections that do not contain any citations. Please remove all external links from the body of the article; Wikipedia is not a means of promoting outside websites, such as the kevintrudeaufanclub.com, or Trudeau's youtube channel. Utopes _{(talk / cont)} 21:09, 10 September 2024 (UTC)

---

Global Information Network (GIN) is an international organization created by Kevin Trudeau as a foundation in 2009 in Nevis. It is a success organization focused on the Law of Attraction.

"Membership in GIN, which peaked at about 20,000, has fallen precipitously since the receiver took control and now stands at 3,908, according to documents filed by the receiver this week [in 2014]."

Since Kevin Trudeau was released from prison, there have been multiple membership campaigns to increase membership back to where it was before receivership.

Ownership

After Kevin Trudeau founded GIN, he placed it under his wife's name, Natasha "Natalie" Babenko. They are no longer married.

"[Nataliya] Babenko had signatory authority on the club's U.S. bank accounts, the records show."

The idea that this organization is defunct is incorrect and was erroneously assumed to be the case because Kevin Trudeau was in prison. However, while he was in prison the organization was first run by the receivership, then Troy McClain under The Hybrid Group that owns AXS Consulting LLC, then it was sold to the members Blaine Athorne, Ted Morter, and Tom Morter.

"The receiver is now in negotiations to sell GIN to one of three interested buyers and the sale could be completed within the next few weeks, Zanzig said [in 2014]. The club's assets could include memberships lists, thousands of dues-paying customers, and a collection of self-help material produced by Trudeau and others."

Troy McClain was on The Apprentice, which was run by Donald Trump.

"Troy’s rise to prominence happened as he climbed Donald Trump’s ladder on NBC’s “The Apprentice,” advancing all the way to the finals."

The Morters run the Bio-Energetic Synchronization Technique (BEST).

Kevin Trudeau has another court case on September 20, 2024 to determine if he will go back to prison because he is not paying back the $37 million that he owes fast enough. Even if Kevin Trudeau were to return the prison, the ownership will still remain with his friends who intend to keep GIN alive and well.

Future Goals

Since free cruises were offered to new Level I members since the beginning, one of the major goals of the club are to create a cruise where people can live communally. Some have compared this to Scientology.

"Trudeau’s own involvement in Scientology is a little mysterious. He recommends in his books that readers try out Dianetics and Scientology. And as the Business Insider profile indicates, Trudeau’s second wife, Kristine Dorow, said that their prenup “obligated her to reach a certain level in Scientology, which Trudeau has dabbled in over the years.” Some former Scientologists have also claimed to have seen Trudeau at facilities in Los Angeles."

Another goal of this club is to have clubhouses around the world. A minor goal is to have its own credit union.

Structure

GIN is structured in a way so that there are 12 levels of training in the Success Mastery Course. Each level costs increasingly more money, but the amount of money changes.

Most members come from the United States of America, Canada, France, and Iran but there are members from all over the world. The website can translate to Albanian, English, French, German, Hungarian, Spanish, and Portuguese. Subtitle translations have been provided in Albanian, English, French, German, Farsi, Hungarian, Polish, Spanish, and Turkish. Some levels are still undergoing translation into Chinese, Dutch, Czechoslokavian, Hindi, Italian, Portuguese, and Russian from the Translations team of the Volunteer Service Corps. They do not use dubbing as they believe that the founder's voice has a special vibration that helps make each level work optimally.

Associate Level: This level includes Your Wish Is Your Command, which is an audio set that takes two weeks to listen to and was worth $200. It used to have many more audios but those were removed in an attempt to both encourage members to go to Level 1 and to avoid overwhelm. It is under $20/mo and each Associate is assigned to a Member Support Coach. Associates are able to attend one event for free. Even though it is considered a membership level on the public-facing website, this is not considered a membership level by the members, but a pre-membership level.

This level used to exist as an Affiliate level, but when Kevin Trudeau went to prison for contempt of court in 2013, the receivership decided that GIN could no longer have an affiliate level because GIN sold memberships instead of products, which violates U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rules for multi-level marketing, according to the "Federal Trade Commission's Opposition to Pyramid Scheme".

"Since assuming management of the club, the receiver has [...] eliminated an "affiliate program" that rewarded members for bringing in new recruits."

"Trudeau had touted that program in another Internet video as one of the "greatest money-making opportunities of all time."

"But the FTC argued it was an illegal pyramid scheme, and that GIN was simply another of Trudeau's crafty attempts to keep assets away from the government."

Level I: This level used to include Your Wish Is Your Command but now retains Know the Score and other audios. This was historically valued at $1K with the incentive being a free cruise. This is the level where you are required to pay membership dues of $150/mo. and is considered to be when a person becomes a member of the club. This cost may be different for those in other economic tiers. This level also begins the parallel training of the Science of Personal Mastery Course, which used to start in the Associate Level.

Level II: This level focuses on emotions.

Level III: This level focuses on what holds you back.

Level IV: This level focuses on reviewing the first three levels.

Level V: This level requires that one pass a 5-8-hour test. This is the level where you are "truly" seen as a member of the club. There is one audio in this level that members particularly like, finding it to be healing, but that one former member claimed to have triggered schizophrenia.

Level VI Executive Member: This level requires that one listen to over 200 hours of audio then listen to a couple more days of audio in person.

Level VII Senior Officer: This is a two-part level with each part containing four days of in-person training that was delivered by Tom Morter when Kevin Trudeau was in prison.

Level VIII Director: This is 200 hours of instruction in four parts with each part containing four days of in-person training.

Level IX President's Club, Level X Chairman's Club, Level XI Ambassador, and Level XII Partner have not been put out yet as of 2024.

Cult

This could be considered a right-leaning cult, especially when it was a multi-level marketing (MLM) organization. However, even after the organization removed it's MLM aspect, only one or two members wore masks at major events during the height of COVID-19. To some liberals that would be considered cultish behavior.

There are beliefs in things that cannot be proven and bogus claims. For example, some members believe in a Council (global luminaries), which the receivership did not believe exist and required the organization to include as a disclaimer at the bottom of its older website.

"One of those businesses is a private club called the Global Information Network (known by the acronym GIN), which Trudeau claimed had been conceived by the "GIN Council," described by Trudeau as a secret cabal of the ultra-wealthy who held secrets to abundant wealth and happiness."

"The Global Information Network is a club that has been developed by thirty people who are on the GIN Council," Trudeau claimed in an Internet video pitching the club. "They're all billionaires from around the world."

"The entity referred to as the GIN Council does not exist," reads a new disclaimer [in 2014] on the GIN website, "and therefore any reference or endorsement of this entity by any of the … previous trainers/hosts should not be interpreted as an endorsement, benefit or part of the training curriculum of the GIN organization."

As of 2024, the website now says the following: "GIN was conceived in Istanbul, Turkey at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in 2003 by a group of global luminaries and formally established in 2009."

As a religion it would be monotheistic-leaning with reincarnation beliefs with a bent toward Christianity, since the Headquarters are in the United States of America where that is the dominant religious culture. It supports meditation practices. One can follow any other religion while simultaneously following GIN. It acknowledges that some of its members may follow Islam but does not set aside times for prayer. Some people have claimed that it has elements of Scientology and can also be followed with Landmark Worldwide simultaneously. Though not as common, some members also follow it and Ordo Templi Orientis simultaneously. A few members also have fruitarian beliefs. The religious text is the Success Mastery Course and the Science of Personal Mastery Course.

Extreme Obsessiveness and Hyperactivity in Lifestyle

What makes it a cult is that the leader is charismatic and that "plugging in" means that the practices become a lifestyle.

Item # 1 on Rick Rome's list is "Extreme obsessiveness regarding the group/leader resulting in the exclusion of almost every practical consideration." Item #6 on Rick Rome's list is "Hyperactivity centered on the group/leader agenda, which seems to supercede any personal goals or individual interests." Even though the organization attracts members by telling them it will help them achieve their "chief aims", the pressure to attend every major event means that members will have less money for their own goals and dreams.

The GIN System includes audios, books, events, relationships, and recognition. Audios include the Success Mastery Course, recordings of Kevin Trudeau, and live events. Books include books from the Basic Book List and The Kevin Trudeau Fan Club's Recommended Materials list. It could also include reading the Science of Personal Mastery Course included in each level except for the Associate Level. Events include four major events per year, as well as Local and Virtual Chapter Meetings. Relationships means that the goal is to make friends with other members or do business with other members with the mantra of "members helping members." Recognition includes recognition at events where all members are encouraged to applaud enthusiastically.

"The Global Information Network provides for its Members as a benefit of Membership, exclusive live in person and online virtual “Events”. These include:

• Major Weekend Events
• Seminars
• Workshops
• Webinars
• Expos
• Mastering the Success Mastery Course
• GIN Adventures
• Local Chapter Meetings
• Symposiums
• Global Conventions"

Other ways that members can stay "plugged in" are through the Volunteer Service Corps, unofficial book clubs, and study groups. The Kevin Trudeau Show that re-started 21 February 2024 on Rumble, YouTube, and podcast expanded to Mondays and Wednesdays during typical working hours. High-level members volunteer as club support coaches for new members, but the requirements are strict. They are required to check Telegram daily, wear business attire whenever they are around other GIN members, and follow precise commands.

The primary ways that members communicate through one another is through the Global Information Network community and Telegram, Other ways that members stay "plugged in" are by following the Kevin Trudeau Fan Club, which is set up to mirror the look and feel of the GIN site, and by following current GIN speakers, such as Ron Ball, or former GIN speakers, such as Marshall Sylver, Daniel Post-Senning, John Gray, Joel Bauer, Mary Miller's I-Ching Systems, Theresa Dale, Glynis McCants, etc. It is entirely possible to center one's entire life around GIN and GIN's leader.

Telegram Channels

Official:

The Official Kevin Trudeau Fan Club Channel and variations in other languages

Discussion - Kevin Trudeau Fan Club and variations in other languages

Translations Official VSC Channel

[Chat] Translations Official VSC

English Proofreading VSC

[Chat] ENGLISH Proofreading VSC

GIN Level V & Above

Virtual Chapter Meeting channels

GIN channels per state and country

Training channels

Unofficial:

Book Club L5

Brothers and Sisters GIN FR23

GIN Elite Creators

GIN Members Book Club Mastermind

TheKevinTrudeauChannel

Cloning of Leader

Under Warning Signs, Rick Rome wrote, "4. Uncharacteristically stilted and seemingly programmed conversation and mannerisms, cloning of the group/leader in personal behavior." In Level IV, Kevin teaches people to memorize his words verbatim to change their DNA vibration. Though not required, in enthusiasm, some people have taken to cloning his way of dressing as well.

Former Followers

Rick Rome also wrote in his Warning Signs page, "10. Former followers are at best-considered negative or worse evil and under bad influences. They can not be trusted and personal contact is avoided." To confirm this statement, Bernie O'Mahony wrote on his site: "One thing I have found consistent with many people in GIN, many of whom were ‘friends’ until I quit, is the quickness of name-calling, slanderous comments and downright bitchiness! And that’s just the men!"

Criticisms

The strongest critics of GIN are Bernie O'Mahony, who is behind GINTruth; Abe Hussein who claims to have lost a lot of money by investing in GIN; Dr. Leonard Coldwell, a former friend of Kevin Trudeau; and "Cosmic Connie" who hosts Whirled Musings, a blog against Kevin Trudeau. "Cosmic Connie" is somewhat different from the other detractors in that her anti-scammer site has been in existence since 2006, and GIN started in 2009, which is when she repurposed her site to be against Kevin Trudeau. Both Bernie O'Mahony and "Cosmic Connie" post anti-Trump posts when they have run out of content against GIN.

Prior to Kevin Trudeau's prison sentence in 2013 for contempt of court, the criticism from members was that several members would prey on other members in an attempt to get them to join various MLM schemes, including Karatbars and others. At one point, even one of the speakers supported Vemma. Some other members tried to get other members to invest in their company, such as Hardaway Networks. The most well-known of these was Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return.

"Hardaway focused on Global Information Network members both because they had great trust in him and because they had taken an oath not to criticize him."

After Kevin Trudeau's release, the member documents were updated so that if someone were accused of soliciting to other members they could be banned for life.

Other criticisms from former members have been that if people leave GIN, they are not allowed to return until they have paid all back dues.

Offline Audio Resources

Old MLM Resources for Affiliates:

How to Get Started Fast

How to Go Platinum in 90 Days

How to Convert Hot Leads Into Members

How to Create a Perpetual Money Making Machine

Your Next Move

Global Information Network Affiliate Development Series, which used to be mailed to members on a regular basis but are now emailed

Other Resources:

Sanctioned Speaker Training (old)

Global Information Member Development Series, which used to be mailed to members on a regular basis but are now emailed

External links

Official Global Information Network site: https://www.globalinformationnetwork.com

Your Wish Is Your Command Guidebook: https://a.co/d/gkUShJC

El Sistema de la Élite: El sistema de éxito de 5 partes de la sociedades secretas (Spanish Edition): https://a.co/d/8JYhULp

Category:Cults of personality Category:International organizations based in the United States Category:Alternative medicine Category:Health promotion Category:Social groups Category:Organizations Category:Positive mental attitude Category:Secret societies Category:Fraternal service organizations based in Chicago