the core". "[Trudeau] has treated federal court orders as if they were mere suggestions ... or at most, impediments to be sidestepped, outmaneuvered or just ignored," Guzman said. "That type of conduct simply cannot stand." Trudeau filed an appeal, contending that (a) Gettleman erred in ruling that Trudeau's misrepresentations of the content of Free Money "They" Don't Want You to Know About was in contempt of the court's 2004 Order; (b) that the district court abused its discretion when it ordered him to pay compensatory damages of $37.6 million; and (c) further abused its discretion when it amended its 2004 Order to prohibit him from participating in infomercials promoting his books. In February 2016, a federal appeals court found no basis to accept Trudeau's claims, and ruled that the 10-year sentence was reasonable, given "the size of Trudeau's fraud and the flagrant and repetitive nature of his contumacious conduct." Trudeau served most of his sentence at the Federal Prison Camp Montgomery in Alabama. Later, he was transferred to a Chicago area "halfway house" program. He is still involved in publicity for his Global Information Network, which by one account is using some of the language of Scientology to attract members. A group of his fans and followers maintain an active Facebook fan page for him, posting motivational words by or about him, soliciting donations for his "defense fund" and for his support once he is released from prison, and comparing his imprisonment to that of heroes and martyrs such as Nelson Mandela. In April 2014, Guzman ordered that royalties payable to Trudeau from continuing sales of his books—now owned by a California company called Free is My Favorite LLC, which purchased the rights from Trudeau—be forwarded to a government-controlled trust and used for fine and restitution payments. Infomercials for Free Money "They" Don't Want You to Know About, produced and marketed by Free is My Favorite LLC, continue to run on television stations throughout the United States. In October 2015, Gettleman approved a partial refund of about $8 million to more than 820,000 people who bought The Weight Loss Cure "They" Don't Want You to Know About. 2022–present: Release and continued government proceedings Trudeau left federal custody in 2022 after eight years, but the $37.6 million fine remained unpaid. The US government quickly moved to seize cash and other valuables that Trudeau may have hidden, including gold bars. After failing