Return to Transcripts main page
Nancy Grace
Mississippi Boy Missing in Tornado Rubble; TV "Scandal" Star Facing Jail Time
Aired April 30, 2014 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
NANCY GRACE, HOST: Breaking news tonight. Killer tornadoes twisting their way through the country, destroying everything in their path. At this hour, the desperate search for a 7-year-old little boy trapped in the rubble. We believe he`s still alive.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That`s the tornado, man!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Another round of severe storms and tornadoes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A powerful tornado outbreak that hit several states.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Residents struggle to pick up the pieces.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mommy!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rescuers race against the clock to locate the little boy before it`s too late.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: And tonight, the start of TV`s hit show "Scandal" facing time behind bars in a scandal all his own, charged with multiple crimes, including felony battery. In the last hours, he stands accused of breaking in and ransacking his wife`s home!
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Actor Columbus Short of the hit show "Scandal" has been accused of attacking his wife, even threatening to kill her. Tanee says Columbus Short grabbed a knife from the kitchen, choked her and held a knife to her neck.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: And tonight, superstar TV king, author of countless books, spokesperson for countless products -- you could turn on your TV and see him any time of the day or night -- Kevin Trudeau heads to jail. Now that he`s been thrown behind bars, tell me how is this TV star still raking in millions of dollars from behind bars?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the man known as the king of infomercials, Kevin Trudeau.
KEVIN TRUDEAU, TV PITCHMAN: It`s my book called "Kevin Trudeau`s Free Money" they don`t want you to know about. It`s streamlined and it`s simple.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A federal judge told Trudeau he spent more than two decades cheating others for his own personal gain.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But if he`s still in prison, how can he still be on TV? Or are all of the proceeds going to help pay down his massive government debt?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: That`s from Kevinsfreemoney.com.
And tonight, we go live with the dark little secret that`s seemingly easy to hide. Tonight, caught on tape, shocking secret video from BBC`s "Panorama" of a 98-year-old great-grandmother calling out, desperate for lifesaving help, calling out, as a matter of fact, 321 times, begging, begging for help! But nobody, nobody responds. Tonight, we uncover the shocking secret elder abuse.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Imagine leaving your loved one in a nursing home only to find out they were being abused. Great-grandmother left in her bed, pleading and begging for help, the 98-year-old saying, Help me, please, 321 times.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: And tonight, live to Muskegon, sisters caught on tape hiring a hitman to gun down the one sister`s husband. Motive? Money, of course, $300,000 in life insurance. We have the video.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Diane Hart (ph) and sister Vicki Brill (ph) get into the van.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) to shoot him?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Part of a sting after Hart`s husband called police. He had been told that the sisters wanted to have him killed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) out there (INAUDIBLE) out there?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us.
Bombshell tonight. Killer tornadoes twisting their way across the country, destroying everything in their path. At this hour, the desperate search for a 7-year-old little boy trapped in the rubble, a little boy that we believe is still alive.
Chris Davis, news director, News Mississippi -- Chris, what do we know about how the little boy got trapped in the rubble?
CHRIS DAVIS, NEWS MISSISSIPPI (via telephone): Well, Nancy, it was an EF-4 tornado that tore through Winston County, Mississippi, which is northeast of Jackson. It was a largely rural tornado, but then it hit the city of Louisville, and that is where it killed about nine people. Unfortunately, the little boy`s family victims of that tornado.
GRACE: Everybody, you are seeing the video, these tornadoes ripping apart everything in their path, destroying millions of dollars of property and claiming the lives of so many loved ones.
Joining me right now, Karen Maginnis, CNN meteorologist. What can you tell me, Karen, about these tornadoes?
KAREN MAGINNIS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Nancy, these are considered one of the worst of the worst. In a day that saw about 88 tornadoes, this was the worst one. Only 1 percent of all tornadoes are classified as EF-4 or EF-5. This means that there is utter devastation, they are saying the winds associated with this at 185 miles per hour. Already nine fatalities in Louisville alone from these tornadoes.
GRACE: The little boy now missing for 27 hours. Everyone, tonight, a 7- year-old little boy is trapped somewhere in the tornado rubble. Police tip line, 1-800-BE-SMART. Tonight, our prayers going up in the hopes that this little boy is still alive. Many people believe he is.
Out to you, Chris Davis, news director, News Mississippi. Why do so many people believe this boy is alive?
DAVIS: Well, Nancy, as the meteorologist said and as you said, it`s only 27 hours out, so that`s plenty of time for this little boy to still be breathing somewhere in the woods. Now, his parents are not alive, unfortunately. They were found after their home was wiped off the slab. Search and rescue still under way, and there may be anywhere from 10 to 20 people searching just for this little boy --
GRACE: Oh! Oh!
DAVIS: -- in the area where the home was.
GRACE: Chris Davis joining me from News Mississippi. You`re just making my stomach just turn thinking of one of my children trapped like this. God bless the 20 people trying to find this little boy. He has no idea both of his parents now dead because of this tornado.
Tonight, we are bringing your attention to this little 7-year-old boy. Send up the prayers. Send out your thoughts. For anyone that can help, tip line 800-BE-SMART.
First of all, I`m trying to figure out, how did we realize that the parents were not with the little boy, Chris Davis? How do we know the parents are dead, but the boy is somewhere else, Chris?
DAVIS: Well, there`s not a lot of information that came in to police, but apparently, right after the tornado, a relative knew they were all at home. Plus, police were able to see both vehicles that had been there at the house. So they did have reliable information that the boy was there at the house with the parents when the tornado struck.
GRACE: Joining me right now, special guest Captain Al Crawford with the special response team at the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fish and Parks. Captain Crawford, thank you for being with us. You were on the ground before the tornado hit, during it. What did you see?
CAPT. AL CRAWFORD, MS DEPT. OF WILDLIFE, FISHERIES AND PARKS (via telephone): You could see it coming from a great distance, but it was coming pretty fast.
GRACE: You know, we`re showing footage right now, Captain Crawford. I imagine it took every ounce of strength you had to stay where you were as this tornado approached. Could you describe -- what can you tell us about the little missing boy and his parents, Captain Crawford?
CRAWFORD: Nancy, right now, all I can tell is you a 7-year-old white male, and he was at home with his parents. We did get that information from a reliable source. And like you said earlier, the parents are deceased. And rescue efforts and search efforts are going on now, looking for the child. We have approximately about 30 people looking for this child.
GRACE: Captain Crawford, I am just sick thinking. I mean, I know all the stats. You know, Karen Maginnis, how many lives have been lost?
MAGINNIS: It`s not that unusual during the springtime to see an outbreak like this, but that we saw fatalities several days before that in North Carolina -- those were the first fatalities. This one swept across at least a dozen states over the last several days, but the track of this particular tornado 35 miles long, three quarters of a mile wide, Nancy.
GRACE: With me, Karen Maginnis, CNN meteorologist.
Back to Captain Crawford, Captain Crawford joining me live from the tornado area. Captain, you know, I know that there have been many fatalities, but there`s something about this little 7-year-old boy that I just can`t get him out of my mind. I know he`s there. I know he`s trapped. And I know he may very well still be alive. How do you go about the search, Captain?
CRAWFORD: Well, when we`re searching an area like the area that`s been hit so hard, and it`s in, like, a heavy wooded area, it`s a slow search. You have to search real slow because everything is piled on top of everything. It`s just piled -- it piled it up so bad that it makes it hard to search. You have to really, really go slow and you have to really, really be looking. So it`s a slow search. It`s not like open ground because the storm was so devastating and it hit those pine -- mature pine woods that just piled this stuff up like piling -- stacking wood. So it`s a hard search right now.
GRACE: Captain Crawford, what were the parents doing at the time the tornado hit? Where were they?
CRAWFORD: From my understanding and the information from the reliable source that we got they were at home.
GRACE: You know --
CRAWFORD: All three, the mother, the father and the son, the little boy.
GRACE: Matt Zarrell, what more do we know? I mean, I`m just thinking about the three of them being in their home, like most of, us and everything`s fine, and all of a sudden, boom.
MATT ZARRELL, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Yes, Nancy, two things about the home in particular. The family home was completely destroyed. There was nothing left of the home, other than a slab. And Nancy, the bodies of the parents -- they were found a third of a mile away from the home, meaning the storm blew them a third of a mile away from where they were.
GRACE: Everyone, tonight, the tip line is 1-800-BE-SMART. Our hopes and prayers going to Mississippi right now for all the victims, but especially tonight in the hopes that this little 7-year-old boy is found alive. Captain Crawford, Chris Davis, thank you for being with us.
When we come back, the star of TV`s hit show "Scandal" facing time behind bars in a scandal of his own, charged with multiple crimes, including felony battery and spousal battery.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They`re in over their heads.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can I have a minute?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So bad news for you "Scandal" fans. Columbus Short - -
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Accused of attacking his wife, even threatening to kill her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: And then later, sisters caught on tape hiring a hit man to gun down the one sister`s husband. Motive, a $300,000 life insurance policy. We have the video.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: The star of TV`s hit show "Scandal" tonight facing time behind bars in a scandal of his own, charged with multiple crimes, including felony battery, spousal battery. In the last hours, he stands accused of breaking in and ransacking his wife`s home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Actor Columbus Short, known for his role in the hit series, "Scandal," is the focus of scandalous headlines. The actor has been accused by his estranged wife of abusing her and threatening her life, claims the actor chased her around the house and held a knife to her throat. Tanee Short filed for divorce and obtained a temporary restraining order saying she fears for her safety and the safety of their 2-year-old daughter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: That is from ABC`s "Scandal," that you were seeing.
Straight out to David Caplan, celebrity journalist, Gossipdavid.com. You know, all these people -- I don`t get it. They`re movie stars. They`re TV stars. They`re rolling in money. They just roll in it. And they still can`t be happy? I don`t get it. What are the claims now?
DAVID CAPLAN, CELEBRITY JOURNALIST: So the latest claim is that, actually, he entered the home that he used to share with his now estranged wife over Easter weekend, and he actually, you know, obliterated the house. He came in. He left the lights on. He ripped the sheets off. He basically vandalized the house. He wasn`t supposed to be there. There`s a --
GRACE: OK, whoa, whoa, whoa! Back it up. He did what in the house?
CAPLAN: He essentially vandalized the house, his estranged wife`s house outside LA. He went to the house. There`s a restraining order. He shouldn`t be in the house. He left the lights on. He tore the sheets off. He really just destroyed it. And she came home to find this. She wasn`t home, nor was the 2-year-old daughter.
GRACE: Well, wait a minute. Wait a minute, David Caplan. I don`t think leaving the lights on and pulling the sheets off is that much. I was told he ransacked the home, on top of felony spousal abuse and felony battery. What`s the battery and the spousal abuse?
CAPLAN: Yes. So he did ransack it. And the abuse from, actually, a couple weeks earlier, he -- she alleges that he came into her bedroom, and he was intoxicated. He had a bottle of red wine. He held the bottle to her throat. He held a knife to her throat, and that he was, you know, abusing her and assaulting her, threatening her to kill her, that he would kill her and kill himself.
And this, of course, is a long string. You know, previously, he had also - - he had also actually hit her in front and had abused her in front of the daughter. So he has a very long track record, and this is only within the course of since February, it`s really intensified, that we know of.
GRACE: You are seeing clips from ABC`s "Scandal," one of the biggest hits this season.
Unleash the lawyers. Randy Zelin, Anne Bremner -- Anne Bremner high- profile lawyer out of the Seattle jurisdiction. Anne Bremner, you know, if you get a jury on this, it`s going to be double-edged, OK --
ANNE BREMNER, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Right.
GRACE: -- because you`re going to have people that think they know this guy because they watch the "Scandal" show all the time.
BREMNER: Right.
GRACE: You`re going to have people that sit back and go, He`s got all this money. He`s healthy. He`s got good looks, got a beautiful wife. What do you mean? Did I just hear he held a knife to her throat?
BREMNER: Yes. It`s just like life doesn`t imitate art. It imitates bad TV or good TV. (INAUDIBLE) look at this guy. And the other thing is there`s nothing in nature, as you know, Nancy, that just -- that you can cut so thin, it doesn`t have two sides to it. And the jury`s going to say exactly what you just said -- great guy, got everything going for him, probably rolling in money, gorgeous wife, gorgeous kid, or you know, did this really happen? Hard to believe when (ph) we (ph) look at him and look at his life.
GRACE: Randy Zelin, I don`t get it. It`s not just one incident. It`s spousal abuse felony. It`s felony battery charges. And now, as if that`s not enough, he decides to violate a temporary restraining order, break into the home and ransack the home. And there`s more to it, apparently, than tearing up the sheets and leaving the lights on. What do you know, Zelin?
RANDY ZELIN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, I will tell you that if leaving the lights on and undoing the bed and leaving the sheets on the floor is a crime, I better not go home tonight.
GRACE: Yes, I better not go home, either.
ZELIN: I think we need to slow down a second.
GRACE: I`m just telling you, Zelin, you know, what you heard from Caplan, in my understanding, is that`s the tip of the iceberg. We got to go back for more facts on that. But when you -- to me, the most serious part of that -- forget the sheets and the lights -- is violating the temporary restraining order. I mean -- put Zelin up, please!
Zelin, how would you like it if you get home and you open the door and you notice everything`s not as you`ve left it? Somebody has been in there. Then you step in and see the place trashed. That`s quite a violation. And this is on top of having a TRO. This man has a restraining order against him. I don`t care if he went in there and took a bath or ate out of the fridge or watched TV. The fact is, he violated a court order to stay away from this woman.
What is it about TV stars and movie stars that makes them think they can do anything and court orders don`t apply to them?
ZELIN: Well, first of all, I think that we`re getting a little bit ahead of ourselves because I will tell you that very, very often, there are situations where the spouses actually attempt even temporarily a reconciliation, and the one spouse with the TRO, or the -- whatever you -- the order of protection against them doesn`t realize that only the judge can say it`s OK for you to go home. You go home, and let`s say things don`t work out, but you had every good intention of going home for a good reason. And the next thing you know, you find yourselves locked up.
GRACE: You know, I`m just realizing what you`re trying to argue. You`re trying to argue that he breaks the TRO to go home to reconcile with a woman that he`s accused of holding a knife to her neck. So to reconcile, he goes home and trashes the apartment. OK. I`m going to work on that logic.
And everyone, of course, he has not been convicted of any of this. We don`t know who ransacked the home. We know the allegations. But tonight, we know this. The star of TV`s "Scandal" is facing his own scandal, time behind bars.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have some bad news for you "Scandal" fans. Columbus Short -- you know, he plays Harrison Wright -- well, he`s not going to be returning to the show. The actor has two pending criminal cases. One accuses him of misdemeanor spousal battery, the other of felony battery that seriously injured a man. Short faces up to four years in state prison if he is convicted.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: OK, out to you, David Caplan, celebrity journalist, Gossipdavid.com, you know, I`ve got a beef with what you just said. If you take a look at the reports -- and again, this has not gone to court yet -- this comes in the same month that the star of "Scandal" is slapped with a TRO after he`s accused of trying to kill his wife during a rampage where he demanded that she confess she`s been cheating on him, hence the tearing the sheets off the bed. David, it`s symbolic. He tears the sheets off the bed because he thinks she`s been on this bed, his marital bed -- oh, dear Lord in heaven! -- and he tears the sheets off.
Not only that, David, isn`t it true that he tore the door off its hinges to get into the home? Isn`t that true?
CAPLAN: Yes. The hinges are --
GRACE: Wouldn`t that fact be important to you if you came home and somebody tore your door off the hinges? Wouldn`t you be worried?
CAPLAN: It`s absolutely important, and he tore the doors off the hinges, and that`s actually why she was saying in the document that she filed saying that that`s why now she feared, as well, for her daughter`s safety because the house --
GRACE: And as a matter of fact, David Caplan -- hold on. I`m not through with Caplan yet.
CAPLAN: All right. Bring it on.
GRACE: At the time that this was reported, the judge gave him just two hours to pack his belongings, never to return. That is extremely rare for a judge to be so convinced, they go, You know what, guy? You got two hours to get all of your stuff together and hit the road. Take the pat (ph) and turner (ph), pat (ph) the street and turn the corner. You are out of there. So what does it say to you, David Caplan?
CAPLAN: That this guy has some issues. You know, and it`s interesting. He clearly -- obviously, that was one of his themes about questioning her - - you know, her fidelity because he actually got into a bar brawl, you know, several weeks ago where some guy at a bar was sort of making jokes about, you know, his wife, and he wasn`t happy about it, either.
GRACE: So he takes it out on the sheets.
Stacey Newman, again, we don`t know the truth of these claims. This has not proven in court yet. What`s the next step, Stacey?
STACEY NEWMAN, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Well, he has two court dates coming up in May, Nancy. And just to back up what David Caplan said, that bar fight is actually what got him kicked off the show. So fans of "Scandal" like myself will no longer see Columbus Short playing Harrison on "Scandal" --
GRACE: You know what, Stacey?
NEWMAN: -- because he knocked a man out cold.
GRACE: Stacey! Stacey! I`m not worried that I`m not going to see him starring in "Scandal," OK? I`m worried about the allegation that he held a knife to his wife`s throat. I`m going to let you ruminate on that for a few moments.
Everybody, when we come back, superstar TV king, author of countless books, spokesperson for countless products, Kevin Trudeau heads to jail. And now that he`s been thrown behind bars, how is it -- I don`t understand this. How can a TV star still rake in millions of dollars from behind bars?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TRUDEAU: This shows you how, without ever leaving your house, you can be making up to $5,000 a month.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You have absolutely no medical training. You`re a convicted felon.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is Trudeau personally making any money off the ads?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: And then later, sisters caught on tape hiring a hit man to gun down one of the sisters` husband. Motive, a $300,000 life insurance policy.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: Superstar TB King, the author of countless books, spokesperson for countless products. You can turn your TV on at any time of the day or night and there he is, Kevin Trudeau heads to jail. But now that he`s been thrown behind bars, how is it the TV star is still raking in millions of dollars from behind bars?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEVIN TRUDEAU, AUTHOR & SPOKESMAN: If you don`t see $500 cash coming in by using these techniques --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Fraud is something Kevin Trudeau knows about firsthand.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A judge called TV pitchman Kevin Trudeau "deceitful to the core" and then promptly sentenced him Kevin Trudeau to 10 years in the federal slammer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And is Trudeau personally making any money off the ads?
TRUDEAU: The majority of people believe that the information I promised is in the book.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRACE: Joining me right now, Jason Miser, a federal courts reporter with "The Chicago Tribune." Jason, thanks for being with us. This guy truly is the TV king. What are some of the products he endorses? I mean, you can see him any time of the day or night, Jason.
JASON MISER, FEDERAL COURTS REPORTER, "THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE" (on the phone): Yeah, Nancy, pretty much anybody who`s watched late night television over the last 10 years has seen this guy hawking everything from, you know, weight loss books to free money. He does 30-minute spots that are set up like they`re talk shows almost, where he`s being interviewed. And he`s --
GRACE: Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Hold that graphic. A Bentley, two lavish residences, personal chefs. Luxury cigars. I don`t know what a luxury cigar is. Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait. $12,000 cufflinks, $4,000 draperies, $1,000 on meat. Meat? Like what, ground turkey? He was spending like a drunken sailor, Jason! Where did all his money go and how much money does he have?
MISER: Well, that`s what they`ve been trying to find out. The prosecutors think he may have millions hidden overseas because when this was all coming down, he went through this so-called asset protection program where he was setting up shell companies overseas in the Caribbean or bank accounts in Switzerland where they think he may have millions. And that`s been a big point of contention for the prosecutors as he continued to spend on Bentleys, like you said, first-class airfare, meat, cuff links. He was flaunting it in their faces, and now it`s all come home.
GRACE: Yes, the feds, the feds don`t like that. When they find out you`ve got $12,000 cuff links, they`re going to go after you. Everybody, you are seeing a Kevin Trudeau infomercial from KevinsFreeMoney.com.
So, Jason Miser joining me from "The Chicago Tribune." Jason, what was his downfall? I`m a little afraid. Which one of all of these products -- and I think I broke in on you to point something out -- I want to hear the products that he endorsed and sold, and which product -- what was his downfall? What landed him behind bars, Jason?
MISER: The book that really got him in trouble, the infomercial was called "The Weight Loss Cure That `They` Don`t Want You To Know About." What he did is violated a court order where he agreed he would not make anymore infomercials that lied about the contents of that book.
GRACE: You mean that book`s not true?
MISER: He made a made of series that claimed --
GRACE: What was the gist of the book, Jason? I mean, who`s "they" don`t want you to know about what? What don`t "they" want you to know about?
MISER: They being the government, and the gist of the book is that you could lose weight, it was easy and you could keep it off and have hot fudge sundaes and steaks and basically anything you wanted to eat.
GRACE: Well, hold on. Let`s hear it from the horse`s mouth, Jason Miser. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUDEAU: This is the book we`re talking about. "Natural Cures `They` Don`t Want You To Know About." .If you have acid reflux, blood clots, varicose veins, asthma, arthritis, migraine headaches, pain of any kind, insomnia, any type of disease you need to pay attention because there are natural cures for virtually every disease out there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: That`s Kevin Trudeau`s infomercial from shopAmerica.com. That`s the tip of the iceberg. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUDEAU: If you`re watching right now, this is the book. It`s my book called "Kevin Trudeau`s Free Money `They` Don`t Want You To Know About." It`s streamlined and it`s simple and it`ll show you how to get money. Grants, entitlements, money from the government, over 4,000 government programs, and additional 15,000 different programs and over 100,000 sources of free money.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Infomercials like this that brought Trudeau down.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUDEAU: Buy the book. We`ll send you the book and in 30 days if you don`t see --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Take a look. This guy is the master. Look at this, Jason. He sold millions like this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUDEAU: -- in the first 30 days, send it back for a full refund. No questions asked. That`s the guarantee. But I`m going to throw in a few other things, as well. Some people are familiar with my first book, "Debt Cures `They` Don`t Want You To Know About."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Everybody, you are seeing the infomercial. FreeMoney.com, chocolate fudge sundaes, losing weight. It goes on and on. But Jason Miser, this guy`s still making millions behind bars. Now, how is that possible?
MISER: Well, what actually he`s doing, he sold the rights to one of his books called "Free Money `They` Don`t Want You To Know About" before this all came down. And the company that owns the rights to that book and the infomercial he did for it are the ones making the money. And the contract calls for him to get royalties from that. But what we`re told is it`s not as much as you might think.
First of all, the book is not selling. It`s going for $3 on amazon.com right now. Second of all, the royalties are actually going to be going to the federal government to pay off a $37 million fine that he --
GRACE: Whoa. Wait a minute. This would be a little dent in that. Look at this home. It looks like an institute. Everybody who`s buying his books and all the stuff he`s hawking on TV, this is what he`s doing with your money. Okay? While you`re eating -- we are eating those chocolate fudge sundaes to lose weight, getting all that free money in his book, he`s spending our money on this. And even behind bars is still raking in millions! Kevin Trudeau still at it.
When we come back, everybody, caught on tape. Shocking secret video from BBC`s Panorama of a 98-year-old great-grandmother crying out, desperate for lifesaving help. And tonight, we uncover the shocking secret of elder abuse.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE; Heartbreaking secret video captures a 98-year-old great-grandmother screaming and pleading for care from her nursing home bed for over two hours.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: And then later, sisters caught on tape hiring a hit man to gun down the one sister`s husband. Motive? A $300,000 life insurance. We have the video.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: And now, we go live with a dark little secret that`s seemingly easy to hide. Tonight, caught on tape, shocking secret video of a 98-year-old great-grandmother calling out desperate for lifesaving help. Help that never came. Calling out, as a matter of fact, 321 times. Nobody responds. Tonight, we uncover the shocking secret of elder abuse.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Imagine leaving your loved one in a nursing home only to find out they were being abused. Horrific acts have been secretly caught on tape inside the nursing home. The distressed grandmother crying out, will you help me, please? Over 300 times. But not a single nurse comes to help.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: That`s from BBC`s Panorama. Tonight, this great-grandmother calls out 321 times. For lifesaving help. Help that never came. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Help! Help!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah, go ahead. Shut that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You sound ike a tiger.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Help me please. Help me please. Oh.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Footage that and more is from BBC`s Panorama. Revealing very disturbing, shocking elder abuse. To Brett Larson, investigative reporter. It breaks my heart. Think about your grandmother. I think of my grandmother, Lucy, that helped raise me, that I named my daughter after. Can you imagine your grandmother begging for lifesaving help? She didn`t just want a glass of water.
BRETT LARSON, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: Right.
GRACE: She needed lifesaving help. It never came. 321 calls by our estimation. And she was left there like that, Brett Larson. Imagine that`s your grandmother.
LARSON: Oh yes. Nancy, that`s where this story is heartbreaking and gut- wrenching. And to watch that video is just -- it pulls at your heart. And I do think about my grandmother, who fortunately is able to stay in her own home and has the wherewithal to take care of herself. Thank God because I would never want to see her in a situation like this. Because if I knew who those people were, I would be banging on the door and see how they felt asking for help 321 times.
GRACE: As a matter of fact, these people are about to be uncovered. To Dr. Bill Manion, medical examiner, joining me out of Philadelphia. What from the risks associated with elder abuse, Dr. Manion?
DR. BILL MANION, NEW JERSEY MEDICAL EXAMINER (on the phone): Well, there are plenty of risks. I mean, the patients can get bedsores, they`re not fed properly. They can fall out of bed. And like you said, it`s just a terrible tragedy. So I hope with these cameras that people will begin to realize that maybe other people are watching, and they can`t abuse the elderly. This goes on even in this country.
GRACE: To Dr. Bill Manion joining me out of Philadelphia tonight. Dr. Manion, the reality is that we estimate this great-grandmother calls out 321 times for lifesaving help that never comes. When people come to visit, if they do have visitors in these homes, very often the elderly cannot communicate.
This is worsened in really my mind -- as bad or worse than child abuse because unlike a child who doesn`t understand what`s going on around it, these elderly are not only getting the abuse, they`re suffering the abuse, but they also understand fully well what`s happening. They know what`s being done to them, Dr. Manion.
MANION: That`s correct. That`s correct. And obviously, they`re not senile. They don`t have dementias. They`re just sane people trapped in a bed basically. They`re either too enfeeble to get up and get out themselves, and if they don`t have guardians looking out for them, then they`ll suffer tremendously.
GRACE: You know, Karen Starks, psychologist joining us me out of New York, the thought that your parent or your grandparent is in a home -- and you`re paying top dollar to top it all off -- but whether you are or not, getting treated like this, while you`re just going about your day working and taking care of your children, the whole time, your parents or grandparents are being abused?
KAREN STARKS, PSYCHOLOGIST: It`s heinous. It`s a heinous crime, Nancy. It`s so -- it`s so hard to watch it. And this really does go on all the time. People who are hired very often for these places are paid very little. And so they don`t necessarily get the best people who are equipped for the job. They`re not trained to work with the elderly. and as you can see in the video that you`re watching, they absolutely have no respect for the people they`re caring for.
GRACE: Horrible. It`s horrible. In fact, Justin Freiman, the stats of elder abuse in America are awful.
JUSTIN FREIMAN, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Nancy, the stats are horrifying. A study shows one in 10 Americans age 60 and over have experienced abuse over one year. Many in multiple forms. And only 1 in 14 cases ever comes to the attention of authorities, so that number could be a lot bigger.
GRACE: You know, tonight, the dirty secret that`s so easy to hide, elder abuse. But we plan to expose it.
When we come back, sister caught on tape hiring a hit man to gun down the one sister`s husband. Motive? A $300,000 life insurance policy, and we have the video.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So chest or head? What would you rather do?
UNINDENTIFIED FEMALE: Whatever is easier for you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: And now live to Muskegon. Sisters caught on tape hiring a mi hit man to gun down the one sister`s husband. Motive? Money. We have the video.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do you want to do? I`ll do whatever you want.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, the fastest way --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If I go out there and get a gallon of milk --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He had been told by his brother-in-law that sisters wanted to have him killed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: With me, James Gemmell, news director at WJRW. James, thanks for being with us.
JAMES GEMMELL, NEWS DIRECTOR, WJRW: Yes.
GRACE: What happened?
GEMMELL: Well, interestingly enough, Diane Hart of Rovana apparently called the twin brother, Dean Wilson -- rather Vickie Brill - her sister, older sister called Dean Wilson, her twin brother, and talked about knocking off Gene Hart, her husband. Diane Hart had just filed for divorce a day before. And she calls him up, Dean Wilson up in the upper peninsula of Michigan, then called Gene Hart and said, hey, apparently Vickie wants to knock you off. And so after that it really --
GRACE: So they call and ask the one brother, hey, you want to help kill so- and-so for the insurance money? And he goes, no. And tips off the brother. Let`s take a listen to the video.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you an undercover cop?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do I look like an undercover cop?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He`s going to be there by himself tonight?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I`ll be home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We`re all going to be there because we don`t have nowhere to go.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You want me to wait until he comes out in the garage and get him out there?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I got my grandson in the house.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You`re his wife. How do you want this to go? I mean, you want to be quick? Do you want me to shoot him? What do you want to do? I`ll do whatever you want.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not up here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because he`s -- he`s going to be cremated.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, the fastest way is --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If I go out there, I get a gallon of milk, I`d rather see him shot in the chest.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Chest or head wound? What would you rather me have you do?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Whatever`s easiest for you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Once you leave the van, it`s done. This is going to happen. OK? You guys are cool with that?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yep.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you an undercover cop?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do I look like an undercover cop?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Talk about leaving the side door to the garage unlocked so the hit man can get in and make some noise to lure Hart`s husband out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Once you leave the van, it`s done. This is going to happen. OK? You guys are cool with that?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yep.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Now to D.J. Hilson, the Muskegon County prosecutor. Thanks so much for being with us, D.J. How did you get this video?
D.J. HILSON, MUSKEGON COUNTY PROSECUTOR (on the phone): Well, you know, we have access through our state police to some equipment that does create these images and does it in a pretty nice, hasty quality and great sound. It really helps when it comes to prosecution, and it`s nice to have this kind of technology.
GRACE: Man, it really does. With me, D.J. Hilson, Muskegon County prosecutor. How did the husband respond or react when he found out his wife was trying to kill him?
HILSON: Well, I mean, he was obviously somewhat concerned about it to the point where he got the police involved. But after that, we didn`t really hear from him. I think he`s ready to be done with the relationship.
GRACE: To Kyle Peltz. What more do you know, Kyle?
KYLE PELTZ, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Here`s the thing, Nancy. Apparently the wife was being considerate when planning the hit, telling the alleged hit man she`d rather the husband be killed in the garage because her grandson would be in the house. When asked if she wanted him shot in the chest or the head, she says the chest because in her words, "If I go out there to get a gallon of milk, I would rather see him shot in the chest."
GRACE: Okay. Well, I would not to interfere with her going out and getting a gallon of milk and being offended by her husband`s dead body on the floor. Everybody, these two caught on tape hiring a hit man to kill the husband over a $300,000 life insurance policy. Now, think about it. You got to split that three ways. And then for the rest of your life, you`d have a hit man chasing you for money. Good planning, Diane and Vickie!
Everybody, let`s stop and remember American hero Army staff sergeant Joshua Mills. Just 24. El Paso, Texas. A Green Beret, Bronze Star, Purple Heart. Loved country star Brad Paisley and the Dallas Cowboys. Parents, Celeste and Tommy. Two brothers. Widow, Meagan. Son, Malachi. Joshua Mills. American hero.
And tonight, happy 100th birthday to my Cajun friend from Baton Rouge, Mr. Elba Bay. Loves birds, rose gardens, and the LSU tigers. Secret to long life? Eat right and exercise. Happy birthday.
DREW up next, everybody. I`ll see you tomorrow night, 8:00 sharp Eastern. And until then, good night, friend.
END
