Texas Attorney General Shuts Down Bogus Fuel Pill Scheme!

Attorney General Abbott Says: "We will aggressively fight these con artists who cynically exploit the public’s concerns about high gas prices to line their own pockets.”

By Scott Siegel -www.BeatTheGasPump.com

SAN ANTONIO- Attorney General Greg Abbott praised a state district court’s decision today upholding his injunction against Dallas-based BioPerformance and its owners Lowell Mims and Gustavo Gus Romero.

BioPerformance Inc., president and owner Lowell Mims and co-owner Gustavo Romero of Irving advertise nationally via the Internet and through seminars around Texas and other states, exploiting the climate of today's high fuel prices.

The company's ads claim the gasoline pills and powders they offer have a non-toxic "top secret gas pill" that can increase fuel efficiency by 30 percent or more and cut harmful emissions by up to 50 percent. In fact, the additive is basically the chemical equivalent of mothballs, which are toxic.

The temporary injunction issued by the court bars the defendants from accessing millions of dollars wrongly diverted for personal uses from this illegal pyramid. These funds were frozen when Attorney General Abbott sued BioPerformance on May 16. The court order states the fuel pill marketed and sold by BioPerformance does not increase fuel economy, nor does it reduce harmful emissions. It also orders BioPerformance to cease marketing the fuel pill as a product that improves gas mileage.

“This company and its owners spent a lot of time boosting the confidence of their clients' buying power and did nothing to boost gas mileage or performance of vehicles, as they falsely claimed these gas pills would do. We will aggressively fight these con artists who cynically exploit the public’s concerns about high gas prices to line their own pockets.”said Attorney General Abbott.

Abbott went on to say: "BioPerformance claims its top-secret gas pills can save consumers big bucks at the gas pump. These claims are bogus; the pill does absolutely nothing to improve gas mileage. The company is merely a smokescreen to trigger the recruitment of more and more paying members into what appears to be an illegal pyramid scheme."

The lawsuit came amidst growing evidence that the miracle pills BioPerformance sold would dramatically improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions in vehicles when put in gas tanks were nothing more than naphthalene, the active ingredient found in moth balls. The compound has no ability to reduce fuel consumption, studies have shown.

“BioPerformance’s stated goal was to create a thousand millionaires through its marketing scheme," Attorney General Abbott asserted. "The fact is, Mims and Romero became the millionaires while others were duped into investing their money on a product that doesn't work.” During the three-day hearing in San Antonio, both defendant’s admitted under oath that since the company’s inception in December 2005 they each took millions of dollars from the BioPerformance corporate accounts and deposited them into their personal accounts.

The evidence presented by the Office of the Attorney General also showed that Romero wired hundreds of thousands of dollars to his brother in Mexico, the purported broker that supplied BioPerformace with its raw materials -- powdered naphthalene. Romero said in court that it cost the company about $4 to manufacture each 40 pill bottle, which on its Web site BioPerformance suggested should retail for approximately $50, a markup in excess of 1,000 percent.

The Attorney General relied on some of the most sophisticated testing of the BioPerformance pills and testimony from several experts, including a University of Texas professor with over 30 years experience in the field of combustion. All concluded that the pills are worthless. BioPerformance also failed to provide any credible data supporting its claims that pills could save consumers 30 percent or more in fuel consumption.

The experts consulted by the Attorney General's investigators all agreed that the pills are about 70 percent naphthalene, (mothballs) a toxic pesticide. Until its marketing was shut down by the temporary restraining order, BioPerformance had steadfastly claimed that the pills were an “enzyme”, “biodegradable”, and “good for the environment”.  One of the experts stated that BioPerformance's product could actually decrease engine performance possibly even damage the engine.

Any consumer who believes he or she was defrauded by BioPerformance can file a complaint with the Office of the Attorney General by calling 1-800-252-8011 (consumers within Texas) or 512-463-2100 (consumers outside of Texas). Consumers can also file complaints online at www.oag.state.tx.us

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Scott Siegel is the author of "Beat The Gas Pump!"

To learn more about taking your money out of your gas tank and putting it back in your pocket go to:

http://www.beatthegaspump.com