The government presented an email from Riccardo Ferrari that contained a list of recommendations as evidence to support the claim that i2G was a pyramid scheme. However, Hosseinipour pointed out to her attorney that just days before this email, Riccardo Ferrari had, during a hangout video (included as government evidence), enthusiastically expressed his admiration for the company. He stated that the i2G Touch was an incredible product, well ahead of its time, and that Maike had “all his ducks in a row” for an amazing future with the company. He encouraged everyone to get on board.
Riccardo did not testify at the trial, and the email was ruled inadmissible as evidence of the “truth.” Nevertheless, the government presented emails typical to those sent to upline leaders to demonstrate Hosseinipour’s knowledge of the alleged complaints. In the Riccardo Ferrari email, Hosseinipour addressed Riccardo’s concerns to Rick Maike and pushed Maike to take action. Anzalone testified that Maike did address these issues after compliance attorney David Koerner joined the team.
It is important to note that this email occurred in the company’s first 120 days, which was still essentially a pre-launch phase.
During the oral arguments for the 6th Circuit appeal, the judges raised the issue of an email from Riccardo Ferrari. Hosseinipour had asked her appeal attorney to refute this email in her brief by highlighting Riccardo’s positive statements made just two days before the email was sent. However, the attorneys deemed this point unimportant, considering it hearsay from a non-witness and not worthy of being considered as truth. Despite this, the judge referenced the email, suggesting it served as evidence that the products did not work.
Moreover, Hosseinipour’s appeal attorney neglected to mention that Riccardo had been featured in government evidence just two days prior, where he praised the i2G Touch. He provided a glowing review of i2G and its products and encouraged others to “jump onboard.” On the day the email was sent, Riccardo also appeared in the “Beast” video featuring Jason Syn, which was part of the government evidence.
The unfortunate truth is that no one assigned to evaluate this matter will ever discover the full truth. There is evidence that Hosseinipour’s attorneys failed to highlight, even though Riccardo’s testimony was included in the government’s evidence. Riccardo expressed his love for the company; however, the government misrepresented him as someone who was critical of the company. Furthermore, the email in question should never have been allowed as evidence under Rule 403(b) because it was confusing, unrelated to the charges, considered hearsay, and unduly prejudicial. You can listen to Riccardo’s testimony and form your own judgment.
The underlying story which the jury could not know was that Riccardo was attempting to secure a job as a consultant for the company. This was why he was making points in the thorough manner in which he presented them. This explains why Courts typically disallow hearsay evidence. The defendants were not able to cross-examine Riccardo about the actual reasons behind his email. Additionally, all the hearsay emails presented were from individuals who did not testify!
Riccardo Ferrari’s Testimonial is in Government exhibit 144 from 31:38 to 34:33. It includes glowing comments about the i2G Touch, the company, the compensation plan, and Rick Maike’s integrity. Riccardo talks about having a long conversation with Maike and saying he has all his “ducks in a row.” Ultimately, he states he got involved and encourages everyone to get involved.
Testimonial from Ferrari in Hangout Exhibit 144 Two days before his email.
“Thank you for that introduction, Faraday. It’s a pleasure to be on the team, and by the way, you know it’s in a nutshell it’s pretty easy to see how much money can be made with this program, and you know the money is very exciting. Let’s face it: you guys are proving the numbers. It’s not just one or two people making money; it’s a whole team of people making money, which is rare to see in network marketing in the first 120 days of a company and also the product. I mean, I really love
the social media platform and all the tools that it offers; I’ve never seen that before you know that I don’t know there are 30,000 social media platforms and teachers online. It’s a pretty crowded place when it comes to social media platform but I gotta tell you, I’ve been studying social media since it came out I’ve never seen a platform that is as nice as this one and as valuable as this one and also just a sexy idea of us making profits from casino gambling all the way around the world, you know, one of the oldest industries in the world and most of all something that everyone is really really excited you know casinos, it’s an exciting environment so the whole thing is, the way they the speed of the program, the product line, the way things are going, and also the integrity of the company. I had extensive conversations with Rick. He has all the ducks in a row. Everything is in place really for a huge explosion, and then what you were saying before about, you know think about what’s going to happen a year from now when you know all this money is going to be earned from the casino end okay we can share those huge bonuses it’s pretty easy to see that this is a mega mega bucks opportunity and I want to encourage it I will encourage everyone to do the same thing that I did jump on board.”
Attached are the Riccardo Ferrari email and the script of his glowing remarks about the company two days prior.
Anzalone stated that Maike did address the concerns two months later. (doc 504 # 4472)
Q. Okay. Did Rick make the corrections that you and Faraday
and Riccardo had forwarded him in this e-mail chain?
A. Not until he — not for months. Not until he brought in
David Koerner and other people.
The Same Day that Riccardo sent the email, he appeared on the Jason Syn Beast video.
The “Beast Video” was a training session featuring top earner Jason Syn, who emphasized the importance of hard work, using the term hundreds of times throughout the video. Additionally, there is a 10-minute segment focusing on explaining the i2G plan, stating that the company’s great future potential derives from driving customers to the casino. Syn claims that after selling 5,000 Emperor packages, distributors would not need to recruit but should instead focus on bringing customers to the casino. He discusses the significant interest in the casino business in Asia, noting that while people may not be inclined to engage in business, playing at the casino is a popular pastime.
Despite the exculpatory nature of the video, the government played only a five-second clip from the 90-minute footage in which Syn remarked that someone could potentially sit on an island in the future and still receive casino rewards. This clip was repeatedly shown to suggest that Faraday promoted passive income simply because she hosted the video.
Hosseinipour’s attorney consistently called for the rule of completeness to play the entire video but never did so. Additionally, the other defendants’ attorneys seemed unaware of the video’s content, allowing the government to replay the clip numerous times and continue making misleading claims.
In reality, the full 90-minute video contradicted the assertions regarding a focus on passive income; it fundamentally emphasized hard work and driving customers to the casino. The government’s awareness of the video’s actual content, combined with the reliance on the five-second clip by various witnesses to support claims of passive income, appears to constitute a knowing subornation of perjury. These tactics were employed against both the jury and the i2G court. You be the judge.
Jason Syn Statement on The Vision and Purpose of the I2G Plan- Focus on Driving Customers to the Casino
Beast Video minutes (41:51- 44:45)
“That’s why this is great! They see in their own language. Korea is the #3 country in internet gaming. #1 is China. #2 is Japan. #3 is Korea. Korean is really, when you go to really Asia .Tremendously they can bring lots of customers. That means even though 5000 packages are gone- you’ll see how many customers- they will bring them in- just outside the Us. I can tell you because I am Korean. You guys in this country may not feel it. So don’t worry about it. This country is a melting pot. So many other ethnic groups Korean Chinese Indian- Filipino whatever when you recruit those they will contact those people in their own countries. That is why is good I speak Korean. And they can bring tons and tons of real customers. And then members sometime they don’t care for membership. They don’t know about membership but playing the games is their hobby , is really hobby, so once they get in they don’t get out. So that is how this company will grow. The future is right there!
Does directing retail customers to an online casino, where distributors earn 25% BV on customer transactions as binary commission without recruitment, resemble a pyramid scheme? It does not!