Embattled 'King of Infomercials' Don Lapre 'slit his own throat with a razor' in Arizona jail cell



Lapre was in jail after allegedly defrauding more than 200,000 people of $52million



TV pitchman Don Lapre died from a self-inflicted razor blade wound to the neck, according to new reports.



The U.S. Marshals Service confirmed Lapre, the self-proclaimed 'King of Infomercials,' was found dead in an apparent suicide while in federal custody on Sunday - days before he was due to stand trial for massive fraud.

Sources tell TMZ.com piles of blood-soaked clothing were found in Lapre's Arizona jail cell. Officials believe Lapre used the clothes to conceal his wound and prevent guards from attempting to save his life, according to the website.

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Tragic: Don Lapre, 47, was found dead in his Arizona jail cell on Sunday

The autopsy was completed yesterday.

Lapre's mother claimed yesterday prison official's had taken her son's anti-depressant medication away.

Shirley Cleveland said her 47-year-old son, who was found dead in his prison cell in Florence, Arizona, was being treated for severe depression before he was arrested for allegedly defrauding 220,000 people of $52million.

Lapre had attempted suicide in the past, Ms Cleveland told TMZ.

When she learned prison guards in Florence, Arizona, had taken his medication away she called his lawyer and pleaded for her to intervene, Ms Cleveland told the site.

Lapre's mother said the jail gave him another medicine, but it did not treat his depression.

Infomercial king: Lapre's death came just two days before he was due to stand trial for fraud

Needed medication: Lapre's mother said her jail officials took her son's anti-depressants off him

TMZ also reported that Ms Cleveland insisted her son, a father of two, was innocent of all charges. Lapre was awaiting a trial after being indicted on 41 charges stemming from a nationwide scheme to sell what was billed as 'The Greatest Vitamin in the World.' Federal prosecutors alleged that 226,794 people were promised lucrative commission checks for selling vitamins and recruiting others to the business, but said it was a worthless venture for most who signed up.

The federal grand jury indictment, made public in June, revealed that that the internet-based businesses had lost investors an estimated $51.8million. The U.S. Marshals Service confirmed he died in an apparent suicide while in federal custody but the death remains under investigation. However there was a 'large amount of blood' in the cell where he was found and so it appears he cut himself, law enforcement sources told TMZ.

Jokes: David Spade's impression of Don Lapre on Saturday Night Live

A grand jury had indicted him on counts of conspiracy, mail fraud, wire fraud and promotional money laundering.

When Lapre failed to arrive for his arraignment that month a warrant was issued for his arrest and he was discovered less than 24 hours later.

Authorities found him in a gym with a cut in his groin and they believed at the time he had attempted suicide by trying to slice his femoral artery.



Last week, Lapre's attorney filed a motion at U.S. District Court in Phoenix seeking to get him released from jail pending his trial, scheduled for next year, the Arizona Republic reported.



The motion said that Lapre was no longer a flight risk and would have access to a psychologist to monitor his medication and mental status.

'I can't tell you what his state of mind was,' Patricia Gitre, Lapre's attorney, told the Arizona Republic 'It was a difficult time for him, obviously.'

The charges carried potential fines of between $250,000 and $500,000 per count and federal prison terms of between five and 25 years.

The company said it would support the hundreds of thousands of people it recruited to start up online businesses selling vitamins.

But investors were allegedly misled as the company tried to get them to purchase additional advertising and other services.

Lapre was known for his emphatic salesman style but the company was shut down in 2007 after customers filed hundreds of complaints.

Meanwhile he was personally paid more than $2.2million from the business between 2004 and 2007, the indictment said.

Lapre was known for his television appearances on shows such as 'Making Money From A Tiny One Bedroom Apartment'.

The pitchman, who referred to himself on his website as 'The King of Infomercials', would recount his hard-luck life story to viewers.

He encouraged them to turn their lives around like he had and is notorious for claiming he made $50,000 a week from his one bedroom apartment.

It was widely parodied - notably by David Spade on Saturday Night Live.

In a rambling note on his website, Lapre said he did nothing wrong.



'I did not have the perfect company, but never once did I allow one thing to be done that would violate any law,' he wrote on donlapre.com.



'Nevertheless, because the majority of people did not make money ... I am left to fight a battle that will for sure destroy what energy I have left inside.'

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