Greg Caton

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'''Gregory James Caton''', a.k.a. '''John Carr'''<ref>[http://www.meditopia.org/toc.htm Meditopia]. "Greg Caton is the author of meditopia.org and this online book. He founded Alpha Omega Labs and operated the company under the pseudonym, James Carr."</ref> {{Lived|April 6, 1956|December 15, 2021|}},  was a promoter of various [[Herbal supplement|herbal products]], some of which claimed to cure [[cancer]]. Caton was the founder of Alpha Omega Labs (1994–2008), a manufacturer of natural health care products, distributing internationally from Guayaquil, [[Ecuador]]. He was married to Cathryn Caton, [[ND]].<ref name="bio">[http://www.gregcaton.com/bio.htm Greg Caton biography], gregcaton.com.</ref>

Caton was involved in numerous controversies. In a report on an alt-media conspiracy website, Caton is featured in an article describing the closure of his Lake Charles, [[Louisiana]] facility by the FDA.<ref>[http://www.quatloos.com/Q-Forum/viewtopic.php?t=5007 Greg Caton - Cure For Cancer?] Quatloos, 25 October 2009.</ref> In 2004, he was sentenced to a 33 month federal sentence for "introducing a new unapproved drug," mail fraud, and other charges.<ref>[https://archive.is/MBQ05 Greg Caton - Cure For Cancer?] Archived from the original at quatloos.com, 25 October 2009.</ref><ref>[https://quackwatch.org/cancer/reg/caton/ Gregory Caton Sentenced for Selling Unapproved New Drugs]. United States Department of Justice, 24 August 2004, via [[Quackwatch]].</ref>

==Early projects==
Caton founded Consumer Express in 1984. This was later branded as Nutrition for Life, a [[multilevel marketing|multilevel]] mailorder company. The firm traded briefly on the NASDAQ stock exchange.<ref name="bio" /> Nutrition for Life entered into a business agreement with [[Kevin Trudeau]].<ref>[http://www.skepdic.com/trudeau.html Kevin Trudeau], The Skeptic's Dictionary.</ref> After the change of ownership of Consumer Express, Caton authored a book (which was since withdrawn) on the facts surrounding the alleged fraud surrounding this transaction. ''Down-Line News'' reviewed this work in February 1993 on their website.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170830062115/http://mlmwatchdog.com/Watchdog_1993_January_WhatsHappening.html Down-Line News Magazine, December/January 1993]. Archived from the original at mlmwatchdog.com.</ref>

== Legal action ==

Caton filed a suit against Kevin Trudeau in the US Fifth District Court of Appeals in response to a libel suit filed by Trudeau in 1996 over Caton's aforementioned book.<ref>[https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F3/157/1026/578120/ In the Matter of Gregory James Caton, Debtor.gregory James Caton, Appellant, v. Kevin Trudeau, Appellee, 157 F.3d 1026 (5th Cir. 1998)]. US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, 26 October 1998.</ref> 

Caton filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in response to the judgement in November 1996. Shortly after this arrangement, the company was subject to a class action lawsuit filed in Harris County, Texas.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20030125011606/http://securities.stanford.edu/1012/NFLI/ Nutrition for Life] Stanford University College of Law, Securities, 15 August 1996.</ref>  Nutrition for life was forced to file for bankruptcy, chapter 7, on July 8, 2003.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20040201234402/http://www.mlmwatchdog.com/Archives2003_2.html Nutrition For Life Bankruptcy]. Archived from ''MLM Watchdog'', 2003.</ref>  

Caton then took up a project to detail the issues associated with multi-level marketing on a site entitled ''MLM Credit Bureau''.<ref>Ami Chen Mills, [https://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/10.03.96/cover/multilevel3-9640.html Pyramid Dreams: MLM foes give an insider's viewpoint online]. Metroactive, 1996.</ref>

==Alpha Omega Labs==
Caton's operation was shut down by the FDA in 2003.<ref>http://www.altcancer.com/compensation_for_fake_product.htm</ref> His website claims that "fake" products shipped under his trade names and offers compensation for claimants.

Caton operated [http://www.altcancer.com/ Alpha Omega Labs] as a front company in order to avoid FDA rules and regulations. He relocated to Ecuador in June 2008.<ref>http://www.altcancer.com/</ref>

Alpha Omega were the topic of an expose by Business Week in their review of the book, Natural Causes.<ref>Magazine: BusinessWeek January 8, 2007, webversion http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_02/b4016109.htm</ref> The review focused upon the case of Sue Gilliat, a nurse from Indianapolis who used Caton's [[Cansema]] product.<ref>''Natural Causes: Death, Lies and Politics in America's Vitamin and Herbal Supplement Industry'' by Dan Hurley (2006) Broadway. ISBN 0767920422.</ref><ref>Website WISH TV Channel 8 News Story via Meditopia accessed 19 DEC 09 http://www.meditopia.org/docs/wishtv.pdf</ref><ref>Website WISH TV 8, Indianapolis, IN http://www.wishtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1540595&nav=0Ra7JXqeJXqg</ref> Cansema is a product which is classified as an escharotic. In short, it attacks and kills human skin tissue, regardless of the presence of cancerous growth. This formulation is sold by many, although Caton claimed some exclusivity for his brand. The Independent, a UK newspaper, published a section on [[Cansema]] in an article on 18 November 1999.

{{quotebox|For $49.95 (£31) a product called [[Cansema]] guarantees 100 per cent success in the removal of skin cancers, even melanomas - regardless of type or size. The makers say that it can discriminate between healthy and cancerous tissue and can therefore both diagnose and treat. That is simply not scientifically possible. Cansema is a so-called "escharotic", which poisons and kills any skin it touches, cancerous or otherwise. There are documented cases of patients losing large areas of their skin and face, including the whole nose, after using escharotics, and needing years of plastic surgery to correct the damage.<ref>Newspaper Article ''The Independent'' Baker, Robert 18NOV99, online access ed 18DEC09 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/ah-yes-cancer-just-click-here-for-a-cure-738021.html</ref>}}

Cansema is listed by the Food and Drug Administration, [[FDA]], as one of [[187 Fake Cancer "Cures" Consumers Should Avoid|187 fake cancer cures]].<ref>Website FDA Accessed 18 DEC 09 "187 Fake Cancer Cures"http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/EnforcementActivitiesbyFDA/ucm171057.htm</ref> Cansema continues to be marketed by numerous individuals, including Caton<ref>altcancer.com/cansema</ref> and others, as referenced by recent FDA warning letters.<ref>Letter, FDA Warning Re: Cansema 20 MAY 08 2008-DAL-WL-12 http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/2008/ucm1048295.htm</ref> The case involving Alpha Omega Labs has been chronicled by [http://www.eddi-inc.com/news7.html EDDI Inc.] on their news site. The website details the impact of the Office of Criminal Investigation.<ref>http://www.fda.gov/downloads/ICECI/EnforcementActions/EnforcementStory/EnforcementStoryArchive/UCM091477.pdf</ref>

Cathryn Caton, a naturopathic doctor, recalled the FDA raid in a self-posted video from February 2009.<ref>Video YouTube Accessed 19DEC09 http://www.youtube.com/v/s8RVTKeN_Ng&hl=en_US&fs=1&</ref>  

{{quotebox|This investigation was initiated based on information regarding the illegal activities of a food processing plant called Lumen Food Corporation, located in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Lumen Food Corporation advertised products via an Internet website www.altcancer.com under the name of Alpha Omega Labs, located in Nassau, Bahamas. These products were advertised as containing medicinal qualities for the treatment of cancer and many other diseases. 

From 1999 to 2003, Gregory CATON, President of Lumen Food Corporation, and his employees utilized Alpha Omega Labs to take direct orders for these unapproved new drugs. The chemical substances were not approved for sale by the FDA. As a result of the scheme, CATON received approximately $950,000. In order to legally market a drug in interstate commerce, the drug's manufacturer is required to comply with all applicable provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act in order to ensure that the products sold are safe for humans and effective for their intended uses. 

On at least two occasions known to the FDA, the items shipped by CATON's firm and used by consumers resulted in bodily injury and harm. The products were Cansema Tonic III and H3O. Cansema Tonic III was advertised for use in the cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of cancer. H3O was advertised for use in the cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of athlete's foot, cuts and burns, eczema, fingernail fungus, chronic gas, gastroenteritis, gingivitis and periodontal disease, halitosis, herpes sores, ophthalmia, psoriasis, sore throat, strep throat, and wounds. CATON did not have an Investigational New Drug (IND) application on file with the FDA. 

On September 17, 2003, a federal search warrant was executed at CATON's residence, Lumen Food Corporation, and an industrial site owned by CATON. All of these locations were in Lake Charles, Louisiana. 

During the search of CATON's residence, a cache of weapons was found consisting of three semi-automatic rifles, one bolt action rifle, two shotguns, a semi-automatic pistol, 10, 252 rounds of amunition, three body armor vests, leg armor and two bullet resistant helmets. The weapons, armor and ammunition were found concealed in a hidden compartment that was inside a closet. CATON was arrested on possession of firearms by a convicted felon. 

Numerous misbranded and unapproved new drugs were seized during the search at Lumen Foods, as well as items deemed as hazardous materials by chemical engineers. Also seized were (16) sixteen (55) fifty-five gallon drums of a liquid corrosive material at the industrial site owned by CATON. This liquid was subsequently identified as sulfuric acid and was mislabeled as non-corrosive. All of the hazardous materials seized were subsequently destroyed by a hazardous materials disposal company. 

On May 26, 2004, CATON was convicted of violating Title18, U.S.C. § 1341 - Mail Fraud; and Title 21, U.S.C. §§ 331(d), 355(a) and 333 (a) (2) - Introduction into Interstate Commerce of Unapproved New Drugs. CATON also forfeited (2) two buildings and his residence in Lake Charles, Louisiana. 

On August 24, 2004, CATON was sentenced to (33) thirty-three months incarceration to be followed by (3) three years supervised release.}}

This was a joint investigation with the Lake Charles and Westlake Police Departments.<ref>Website: EDDI-Inc.  News Release http://www.eddi-inc.com/news7.html</ref>

== Departure from the United States ==

After his arrest and prison term, Caton left the United States for [[Ecuador]], where he re-estalished his operation.  During this time he was subject to a patent suit over his food preservative patent. In the filings with the United States Patent Office, Caton said that he feared arrest should he return to the United States and became in violation of the terms of his release from federal prison in 2004.<ref>US Patent Office Decisions [http://www.uspto.gov/ip/boards/bpai/decisions/inform/105617-66.pdf United States Patent And Trademark Office Board Of Patent Appeals And Interferences, Intellectual Concepts, LLC, (Inventor: Gregory James Caton) v. Zannier, Inc., (Inventor: Paul D. Manos)], 19 September 2008.</ref>

==Fugitive from justice==
Caton was reported as a fugitive from Justice on or about May 2006, for violation of the terms of his release from Federal Prison.  He was featured in Parade Magazine's ''On the Run In America'' article in February 2009.<ref>Magazine: Parade, online Accessed 21 DEC 09 http://www.parade.com/news/2009/02/on-the-run-in-america.html</ref>

He was reportedly under arrest, again, after extradition from Ecuador as of 16 December 2009.<ref>Web Article: www.Natural News.com; Adams, Mike. http://www.naturalnews.com/027750_Greg_Caton_FDA.html</ref> Caton's wife Cathryn supposedly posted an online appeal on her husband's behalf:

{{quotebox|In 1984 my husband founded Consumer Express, which later became Nutrition for Life International (briefly traded on the NASDAQ stock exchange as “NFLI”). In 1995 he created Alpha Omega Labs (herbhealers.com / altcancer.com), which became a provider of over 300 alternative health products with 14 distributors around the world, before its closure by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration in September, 2003.

It successfully reopened in Ecuador in June, 2008.

Alpha Omega Labs is best known for Cansema® — an effective cure for skin cancer, based on suppressed formulary information dating back to the 1850’s. Over a 13 year period, Alpha Omega Labs was responsible for curing thousands of cancer cases.

In 2007, Greg and his wife received residential Visas to live in Ecuador. The Ecuadorian government had granted us all the proper permits to manufacture and sell our herbal products from within Ecuador at that time. And so, we legally reopened Alpha Omega Labs in the summer of 2008 in Ecuador.

As of 2007, Greg had 1.5 years left to serve on his probation. He had already been granted permission to fly back and forth from the US to Ecuador and was hoping to have his probation commuted. However, because of the involvement of an extremely corrupt FDA agent by the name of John Armand, who had Greg arrested in 2003, we made a joint decision to stay here in Ecuador and not travel until his probation period had been completed. A clear and concise description of Greg’s first persecution by the US government can be found on: www.meditopia.org An archive of Greg’s newsletters can be found here: http://www.altcancer.com/ashwarch.htm

On December 2, 2009, Greg was arrested here in Ecuador at a premeditated license check point by Ecuadorian police. Completely false charges were brought against him. The charges were that Greg was in Ecuador illegally and that we were selling herbal products illegally.

At the first hearing, we had no trouble showing the judge that the charges were false which proved Greg’s innocence. As a result, the judge signed papers to have Greg released from jail. However, the police chief here has the final say as to which inmate is ultimately released or not, and by the time the judge arrived, the police chief had already been heavily pressured and bribed by the U.S. government. This resulted in him signing paper work to deport Greg… [[Persecution complex|illegally]].

We appealed the police chief’s decision. However, at the second hearing, the Judge essentially froze and said he was not qualified to make a ruling on the case. We noticed that a US consulate official was in the hearing room at that moment. Some Ecuadorian Judges have residential visas in the US and do not want to piss off the US for fear of losing them.

We filed another appeal. This appeal was approved and a hearing was scheduled for December 14th or 15th, 2009. I then received a phone call from Greg this morning: Dec. 12, 2009. He told me that whatever legal work we were doing was not working. He said he was calling me from the airport where authorities were preparing to fly him to the US…illegally.

I immediately called our assistant who called our attorney who called the new judge. The new judge drove to the chief of police to release him from his authority over this case. The judge then drove to the airport to stop immigration from deporting Greg. Immigration had him flying out on American airlines flight no. 952 from Guayaquil, Ecuador to Miami, Florida.

Before the judge got to the airport, our assistant told the police who were holding Greg at the gate that the judge was on his way with paper work for Greg to not leave the country. The man from the U.S. State Department immediately put Greg on the plane (in my opinion…illegally kidnapping Greg) and told our assistant that he was now in American territory (the American Airlines plane) and could not be removed.

The judge then arrived with the appropriate paper work and explained that Greg was not to be flown out of the country but he was ignored by American Airlines when he attempted to have Greg removed from the plane, at which point the plane took off. The judge then talked to the airport tower to have the American Airlines flight stopped. Both American Airlines and the pilot refused to listen. The judge then called a general in the Ecuadorian military to have the plane stopped by forcing it to land in Quito. American Airlines refused to listen.

All of the above took place while the American Airlines plane was within the country of Ecuador and subject to Ecuadorian law.

I have not heard from my husband since.

People need to understand that what the U.S. government did today….was totally illegal under Ecuadorian law.

If we are to successfully fight this kind of evil…

WE MUST STAND TOGETHER.

In order to win this fight once and for all…the countless numbers of people who have cured themselves naturally from any disease need to stand up and tell their story to as many people as possible.

In 2003, after Greg’s arrest by the FDA and our herbal company had been shut down, one of the phone calls we received was from a woman who had cured herself of breast cancer using our products. She had tried to get her story told on the Oprah Winfrey show. She was told by the Oprah staff that they could not air her story because the Oprah Winfrey Show was supported by the pharmaceutical companies.

So here we have [[Oprah Winfrey]], one of the most influential, wealthy personalities on the planet [[Big Pharma|controlled by the pharmaceutical companies]]. She is not alone…

If you or anyone you know has cured themselves naturally of any disease please stand up now and do whatever it takes to get your story told in the main stream media.

We must stand up together if we are to transform this evil.<br/>
Cathryn Caton, N.D.<ref>Website: Energy Grid, Accessed 19DEC09. http://www.energygrid.com/news/2009/12cc-alphaomegacaton.html</ref>}}

== Patents ==

In 2008, Caton submitted a patent application for a food preservative.<ref>[http://www.faqs.org/patents/inv/39393 Website Patent Inventors].</ref><ref>[http://www.faqs.org/patents/app/20080213443 Website Patent Docs], 2009. "Patent application title: Lower alkyl carboxylic acid moieties as organoleptic stabilizers and preservatives of food and beverages and for preventing oxidative corrosion of metals; Inventors:  Gregory James Caton - Agents:  WEINGARTEN, SCHURGIN, GAGNEBIN & LEBOVICI LLP - Assignees:  Intellectual Concepts, LLC - Origin: BOSTON, MA US IPC8 Class: AA23L33517FI USPC Class: 4263303</ref>

== Authored books ==
*Caton, G.J.; ''Lumen: Food For A New Age'', Calcasieu Graphics & Pressworks, 1986. {{isbn|0939955008}}
*Caton, Greg; ''MLM Fraud: A Practical Handbook for the Network Marketing Professional'', (self-published), 1990. {{isbn|0939955032}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.youtube.com/user/AlphaOmegaLabs#p/u/40/sG66RY6-D0g Alpha Omega YouTube Channel]
* [http://www.altcancer.com Alpha Omega Lab Site]

==See also==
*''Natural Causes: Death, Lies, and Politics in America's Vitamin and Herbal Supplement Industry''.  Broadway Publishers (2007) {{isbn|0767920422}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Caton, Greg}}
[[Category:Alternative medicine]]
[[Category:Woo]]
[[Category:Cancer woo]]
[[Category:Alternative medicine promoters]]

Categories: Alternative medicine, Woo, Cancer woo, Alternative medicine promoters