To those who know him, Creaghan A. Harry is a wonderful father, caring son and prominent businessman. But what they didn't know is that Harry has been harboring a deep, dark secret that has only recently surfaced and been brought to the public's attention. He is currently being sued by the Federal Trade Commission for allegedly sending millions of illegal spam messages. Harry is also accused of selling bogus human growth hormone products over the Internet.
The news not only saddens those who know him, but comes as a complete shock also.
A friend and neighbor said that she is shocked and appalled that a man who is considered to be one of the top 10 spammers in the world has been living right next to her and her family on Bel Lido Isle in Highland Beach, in a $2.4 million dollar home that sits right on the water, since Aug. 2002.
"To think that he might have made his money to buy his home, to buy his Hummer, to buy everything he owns from people who have sent their hard-earned money to him… I just can't even fathom it. I hope it is just a case of mistaken identity because he is such a good man," she said.
Sure. From January 1 through May 31, 2004, consumers have forwarded approximately 40,000 complaints to the FTC concerning spam messages linked to the "good man."
"LOSE WEIGHT WHILE YOU SLEEP WITHOUT DIETING OR EXERCISE," read millions of the illegal spam e-mails. Supreme Formula HGH and Youthful Vigor HGH -- $79.95 for a one-month supply -- allegedly could stop or reverse the aging process, causing a veritable laundry list of effects like weight loss, muscle gain, hair regrowth, wrinkle removal, and higher energy levels.
While the FTC said that there wasn't any convincing scientific evidence that the products work based on the findings of two medical experts who reviewed the products claims and the ingredients, they determined that the claims were false and that Harry's products had no discernible effect on the body.
Yes, it looks bad, but Creaghan Harry is getting off easy. The accused spammer and perpetrator of fraud has agreed to settle charges brought against him by the Federal Trade Commission for $485,000, less than a tenth of the estimated $5.9 million consumer injury the FTC attributes to his sham anti-aging and weight-loss products.
Harry declined to answer several questions the South Florida Sun-Sentinel asked him about the case. But in an e-mail exchange, he said he agreed to a settlement because he would otherwise face years of litigation over the FTC's disagreement with the claims he made about his products.
Bel Lido Isle
Harry gets to keep the bulk of his $2.4 million estate thanks to Florida's homestead and asset-protection laws. Though the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005, signed into law in April, includes homestead-protection limitations that might have enabled the FTC to seek more of Harry's assets, the agency decided in a 4-to-1 vote not to risk the almost half-million-dollar settlement for a potentially larger sum.
The irony is that, according to court filings, the complex network of businesses Harry used to peddle his quack cures barely touched Florida. Allegedly, he paid a California company to manufacture "Supreme Formula HGH" and paid a South Dakota company for customer order fulfillment and credit-card processing.
The FTC claims Harry had proceeds from the sale of his bogus health products wired to a bank account in Latvia, all the while concealing his identity using the name Greg Miller and various unregistered business located in Canada, Sweden, and Switzerland with fictitious names such as Hitech Marketing, Shark Data Technologies, Scientific Life Nutrition, Ultimate Health, Grow Lean, and Hand Rejuvenation Health Corp. Web sites that sold his products don't identify any business name and are registered to individuals in China.
E-mail this story
Printer-friendly version 
Bookmark this page