See yesterday’s news on Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE:HLF) here.
For Immediate Release: Contact: Paloma Zuleta
February 5, 2014 (202) 812-4477
ADVOCACY GROUPS CALL FOR GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION TO PROTECT COMMUNITY AGAINST PYRAMID SCHEME
LULAC Joins Coalition of Latino Groups and Consumer Advocates from Across the Country to Demand Action
Washington, DC–The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) today joined with a coalition of civil rights and consumer advocacy groups to call on Congress and government regulators to launch an investigation into Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE:HLF). This coalition believes that Herbalife is running an illegal pyramid scheme that uses deceptive business practices to target disadvantaged communities, particularly Latinos, with false promises of wealth and success. In reality, the vast majority of Herbalife distributors earn no income from the company and most end up losing money.
“I have spoken directly to a number of Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE:HLF)’s Latino distributors and have listened to their stories about the aggressive recruitment techniques used to lure them into investing their savings. Herbalife is a pyramid scheme that takes advantage of Latinos in our community,” said Brent Wilkes, LULAC National Executive Director. “We hope that Congress and government regulators look into Herbalife’s business model as it preys on the most vulnerable populations in our country.”
The groups also met with legislators from their home states to discuss their concerns about Herbalife. Among the groups that traveled to Washington to voice their concerns are The National Consumers League, Hispanic Federation, MANA, Make the Road, Centro Sin Fronteras, Federacion de Michoacanos, Center for Latino Progress, Hartford Areas Rally Together, BraceroProa Binational Alliance, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA), Vamos Unidos, Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Southern California, Community Association of Progressive Dominicans Inc, Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant Rights, Union of Minority Neighborhoods, and Chelsea Collaborative. These groups join a number of elected officials and advocacy groups who have come forward in the past year to ask leadership to investigate Herbalife.
“As the nation’s oldest consumer organization, we view it as our responsibility to blow the whistle on bad actors in the marketplace that need to be investigated,” said Sally Greenberg, the Executive Director of the National Consumers League. “We have asked the FTC to step in and conduct an investigation in order to determine whether Herbalife is running a fraudulent pyramid scheme.”
“More than 60% of Herbalife’s U.S. distributors are Latino- that’s more than three times the proportion of the Latino population of the country,” said Jose Calderón, President of the Hispanic Federation. “We have serious concerns about this company’s deceptive practices and we are calling on Washington now to protect our communities.”
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About LULAC: The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the nation’s largest and oldest civil rights volunteer-based organization that empowers Hispanic Americans and builds strong Latino communities. Headquartered in Washington, DC, with 900 councils around the United States and Puerto Rico, LULAC’s programs, services and advocacy address the most important issues for Latinos, meeting critical needs of today and the future. For more information, visit www.LULAC.org.
