In the closing argument, the prosecution told the jury that Hosseinipour never focused on customers. This was a knowing lie as they had access to many training videos where that is exactly what she discussed. In fact, the very first 12G hangout she ever hosted was focused entirely on the product and its potential customer applications for businesses. The government spent hours telling the jury that Hosseinipour never told people about the secretive “$19.95 customer position despite overwhelming evidence in the data that this was not true. In fact, from the very first video she ever did, she introduced the $19.95 customer position. Madison Sewell told the jury that her failure to disclose the $19.95 position to people was evidence of fraud. This was a knowing lie to the jury.
Despite the government’s false statements to the jury that Hosseinipour never focused on product or customers, her very first i2g hangout was entirely centered on customer applications for what she presented as a social media technology system. During this hangout, she described that business customers have the option to use the service for $19.95, facilitating ongoing communication with their clientele. She introduced the i2G Touch through Susan Anzalone, describing it as a system designed to help distributors interact and share information that could benefit their businesses, regardless of their affiliations. The audience for this hangout included Hosseinipour’s Leaf distributor team, whom she encouraged could use this tool to enhance their businesses. Additionally, business applications for traditional enterprises were discussed.
The government was aware of Hosseinipour’s numerous product videos and focus on getting customers. Their statement to the jury in closing arguments that she never discussed customers was a deliberate misrepresentation since they had evidence, including the video below, to the contrary. Unfortunately, although Hosseinipour provided crucial evidence to her brother-in-law, he failed to introduce any of her videos or clips in her defense. He did not understand his role or how to advocate for his client.
Hosseinipour directly discussed acquiring customers for $19.95 (28:23) from the outset, despite the government’s dishonest claims during the trial that she “never told anyone” about the “customer spots” and kept that information “secret” to benefit only herself. The argument was even more disingenuous, as the government’s evidence in 101i showed that 2,650 customer packages were sold at $19.95, and it also showed 12,000 customer spots in 101d. Furthermore, Hosseinipour and Anzalone discuss in this video how traditional businesses could utilize the software to notify customers, such as a pizza shop informing patrons about special offers (28:23-29:30).
Additionally, while the government tried to allege that Hosseinipour transitioned directly from Bidxcel to i2g after meeting Maike and Barnes, the reality is that she never met them. The implication was that some conspiracy developed prior to the launch of I2G. Instead, she was introduced to Billy Moorland by Richard Anzalone, who recruited her into a company called Leaf Network, where she remained until 2014. There was never a connection or introduction to Maike until Anzalone ultimately recruited Hosseinipour in July of 2013. In fact, the government introduced evidence Maike sent the initial i2G launch plans to numerous people that did not include Hosseinipour.
The first-ever video and draft of that meeting are attached. Recruiting or investing were never mentioned. The only topic of discussion was customer applications for businesses with the exciting new social media technology.
Despite the government and McClelland’s false claims that there was no interest in the product, its features, functionality, and the excitement surrounding it were widespread. This is evident in a Touch training video featuring Susan Anzalone and Angela Leonard. Susan mentions that there are thousands of users who are enrolled with and actively using the product. (1:15) In the video, you can also see demonstrations of the key features, which showcase how this product was ahead of its time, especially considering this was in 2013, before Zoom gained widespread popularity. Notably, there is discussion of the expectation that the number of “customers” will exceed usage by distributors due to the value of the product as a multifunctional communication tool. (15:10-15:25)
The demonstrations include features such as screen sharing, meeting sharing, and video calls that allow for file sharing with multiple users on the same call. All of this occurs on a social media platform that integrates various social media networks into a single space. Additionally, it features a built-in Pinterest option for showcasing pictures and videos, as well as a built-in blogging feature. The entire transcript is provided below.
Relying on her attorney’s ineffectiveness to understand cross-examination is no excuse for a prosecutor to misrepresent the truth knowingly.
Despite the government’s and McClelland’s improper hearsay that none of the i2G distributors were interested in the product, a group of 500 distributors attended a product-focused meeting, which outlined the features of the Touch and introduced the Songstagram technology. When Maike asks the crowd if they like what they saw with the Touch features, the crowd erupts in applause. The primary purpose of the gathering was to introduce and train on the products.