Friday, September 21, 2007

Kimkins: The Perfect Storm, Part 1

What happens when a deceitful, disordered person promotes effective but defective diet plans which then grow into a dynamic but dysfunctional business?

That confluence forms the perfect recipe for disaster.


The ingredients?
The person, Kimmer/Heidi Diaz
The professional practices of Kimkins
The plans of Kimkins
The plan behind the plans at Kimkins
The people of Kimkins


First, the person, Kimmer/Heidi Diaz.


Much could (and has been) said, and more will continue to be speculated about and discovered about Kimmer/Heidi Diaz, I am sure. She is a fascinating person, who came to the attention of the low-carb dieting community by making extreme claims of losing 198 pounds in 11 months with her own extremely low-fat, low-calorie version of Atkins. She soon began to dominate many threads at a low-carb forum (lowcarbfriends.com), where she was the center of many heated arguments over the truthfulness of her claims and the safety of her diet. She would seemingly go from being sweet and helpful to being sarcastic and cruel in a moment. For a long time, she steadfastly refused to post photos of herself to back up her claims. When she eventually did, they were immediately questioned as suspect. Eventually, this erupted into something of a showdown, and Kimmer/Heidi left that site in a huff to start her own paid site, spreading rumors that she had been banned to gain sympathy from followers. Thus it began.

Who is Kimmer? What makes her tick? Ultimately, that will be up to the proper authorities to determine, as they will in due time. For now, since she will not appear to answer honest and legitimate questions, all that is left for others is to examine the apparent evidence collected so far. There is so much out there, and it is sometimes hard to know what is true and what isn't. At this time, it is likely that at least 80% of all the accusations against her are true, and it may be much, much worse than anybody yet knows.

But, she really only needs 1 or 2 of them to be proven true for her to be forced to shut down Kimkins and go to jail.

Here is the main thing that will do it, in my opinion, and it is easy enough to prove in court. It is almost certain that she committed consumer fraud , a federal felony, by lying about her before-and-after weight loss story to sell memberships in Kimkins.com.

She did NOT lose weight down to 118 lbs. years ago and keep it off all this time. She in fact is heavier now than she was in her before photo. She used a false claim and false 'after' photos of herself to sell the site.

It appears she also used other false 'success story' before-and-after photos and 'testimonies'. One uses a well-known model, Louise Vyent, for the 'after' photo, which does not match the before photo. In another, the 'success' tells of meeting Kimmer when Kimmer supposedly volunteered at a Braille Institute (which, when contacted, confirmed never happened.) Other details of Kimmer's story (like being a CASA rep) have been checked with state authorities and proven false. All this and more can be proven beyond any doubt. Thus, she is in violation of FTC regulations, and is guilty of criminal fraud.

That is not even counting a potential federal charge for mail fraud. This stems from the beginning of the site when 'Tippy Toes', current Kimkins PR person Jeannie Baitinger, organized a fundraiser for Kimmer's 'foster kids' and people sent checks through the mail as donations. California authorities have verified that Kimmer did not have foster children at the time, and has not had foster kids for many years. (Family members who have been contacted say it is because she let the middle school-aged foster kids in her care get drunk, and that she is a practicing alcoholic, which I also suspected, from communication with her. A search of court documents has also revealed that she lost custody of her son when he was 13, which verifies the family-member story.) Moreover, even if she had foster kids at the time (which she didn't), it is a violation of foster care regulations to use foster children for fundraising purposes.

And that does not count that she reportedly has been receiving Social Security money for 'disability' all this time, or that she is, according to public court documents, currently in default on a judgment for unpaid student loans.

And all that is apart from a charge of making false medical claims that she is not authorized to make, such as 'Kimkins is perfect for all diabetics"

And, that doesn't even take into account that she has, by all accounts, banned many 'lifetime' members at whim, with no warning, and for no legal basis except vague Terms of Service which were only changed after the fact.

And there is more.

And, that doesn't even account for things that have not yet been verified, but can be proven if they are true. For instance, contacted family members say that the disability payments she is drawing are based on the grounds a mental illness. And, that she has already done jail time in the past as a con artist, who has stolen identities and used other people's Social Security Numbers.

Now Kimmer is trying to pretend that maybe Heidi Diaz did those things, but that she (Kimmer) is not Heidi Diaz. Not true, beyond a doubt in my mind.

Consider this. She has gone by the username 'Kimmer' for years on LCF and several other sites, as well. During all that same time (well before she started Kimkins.com) she also mentioned in more than a few posts as well as to some people who got closer to her that she was Heidi Diaz. In fact, she posted (and the posts are a matter of public record, and go back for years) that she was Heidi Kimberly Diaz, maiden name Miller, born May 10, 1958, in southern California, with an older son born when she was 16, and a younger son Brandon, who is now 18. State records reveal Heidi Diaz's mother's maiden name to be Drake - which matches the name Kim Drake, given to Woman's World magazine.

Heidi and Kimmer, under both names, claim the same location, same birthdate, same marital history, same children, same foster parent/CASA status, same financial history, same weight loss story. People who have communicated with her by email (including me) have sent and received emails from the same person, often about the same conversation, interchangeably as Heidi Diaz or Kimmer. Someone who has called her personal number (namely Christin) has asked for either Heidi or Kimmer, and been given to the same person, either way. Family members have confirmed that the voice of 'Kimmer' heard on the Jimmy Moore phone interview is the voice of Heidi Diaz. The photo that 'Kimmer' has used as her 'before' photo is an exact match to the person seen in the private investigator's recent surveillance photo of Heidi Diaz, seen living in an apartment belonging to Heidi Diaz, driving a car registered to Heidi Diaz, picking up mail at a postal center corresponding to kimkins.com mailing address.

Let me repeat that: Kimmer's 'before' photo clearly matches Heidi Diaz' current photo. It clearly does not match the 'after' photo of the woman in the red dress, which Kimmer posted on her site and claimed was her.





(Photos copied from http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/kimkins/515944-why-fascination-kimmer-2-a-90.html#post9239265)

In fact, it is only after investigations began closing in that Kimmer began pretending that Heidi was someone else, not her.
She told Jimmy Moore that Heidi was her cousin. She told Christin that Heidi was a friend who worked for her. (I spoke to both of these people, and each volunteered this info independently, before the surveillance photos even came out.) Now, she is telling everyone who will listen that Heidi is just someone who works for her.

And, even if it were true (which it is surely not) that Kimmer and Heidi were two separate people, then they would BOTH be guilty of conspiracy to commit fraud!

'Kimmer's before shows the same person as Heidi's 'after', irrefutably. So, even if they were by some EXTREMELY REMOTE chance of fate not the same person, they most certainly would be co-conspirators.

Even if nothing else turns out to be true, that alone is enough to prove she is not just a self-deceived liar, but guilty of criminal fraud.

Past that, the question of who Kimmer is and how she came to be this way may be debated for quite some time to come.

24 comments:

Cryssi said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Deni said...

This is definately the place to come for all the facts pulled together in a considerate, thougthful way.

Your grace and efficiency in all this has been one I completely admire.

theTRUTH said...

Bring it on sister. We wait and we wait for a new post, and you didn't disappoint with this one... :)

You are right on the money, and the people there do respect your word over the others who have been warning them. Can't wait for the rest of the installments.

Unknown said...

I agree with Deni. You've done a fabulous job of putting the facts out there for all to read in an easy to understand synopsis. Bless you, Becky! Hope you are doing well.

LaurieB said...

Becky - I admire you greatly!!! I'm sure this isn't easy for you but your concise thoughts and recounts of past events are so very much appreciated!!!

~HUGS~

wishbone said...

I really respect everything that you have stood for! You are such an inspiration. Not only in weight loss but in issues of morality and integrity. You are a shining example of inspiration!

Princess Dieter aka Mir said...

Wow. You so cogently put together so much diverse discussion. Can't wait to see how you continue to concisely and convincingly out this schemer-scammer-sinister Sham artist.

And, unlike Heidi, your tone is adult and clear and not at all snarky. I'll be linking.

Thanks,
The Princess

chickycola said...

Yes, you are right on the money. Great job in organizing these facts, thank you!


Janice

Hugs!

Unknown said...

Thanks for being a beacon in that Storm. We've all had our eyes opened. Many of us didn't want to believe it at first...perhaps out of embarrassment or shame at being duped, or just sheer disbelief that someone could truly be such a menace. But thank you for helping bring it all to light, with grace.

Lee said...

This looks like a fine and factual
analysis to me. Well organized and
well thought out. As for the legal
aspects, what will happen? Hard to say in this day and age. Stange things happen in a court of law these days.
thank you Becky.

Lee

Bella said...

Anybody have her time of birth? Im an astrologer and would LOVE to run her chart!

Bella

Sara said...

Wow. Just. . . wow.

bellylove said...

Excellent job compiling everything Becky! I'm so sad I bought into it...but so happy I've found some great people as a consolation prize!

Unknown said...

Thank you Becky for this summary. So many people have asked "what is the deal with the whole Kimmer/Kimkins controversy in a nutshell" and that's what you have delivered.
-soon2bslim

Jimmy Moore said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jimmy Moore said...

Excellent work, Becky! Actually, I will add one thing to what you wrote: When I requested my affiliate sales be sent by check and not PayPal, "Kimmer" admitted at that time that she was really Heidi Diaz but "Shhhh, don't tell anyone. It's our secret."

Then when she told me her name really is Kimmer and that Heidi Diaz is her cousin in in July, this flip-flop in her story was one of the major issues that made me grow concerned enough to break all ties with her fake identity and suspicious diet plan once and for all.

In light of all that has happened since, I'm glad I did. Keep up the great work, Becky!

Jimmy Moore said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Vickie said...

Once again Becky, you have provided the facts in a clear, concise way and let them speak for themselves.

Your honesty and integrity have been a beacon of light for so many of us in this confusing time. Keep up the good work my friend.

Doggygirl said...

Hi Becky. Another great post highlighting the facts about Heidi and Kimkins.

I have started a blog in case you would like to link with me.

http://doggygirl.wordpress.com/

Keep speaking the truth Becky. It does set us free.

DG

honnybun said...

so when are you starting your own site?

a. said...

Becky,

I've been gone from the site forever dealing with my "stuff" but got the heads up to check out your blog from a few K friends. So glad I did! I've been defending Kimmer for months, just out of sheer bull headedness. I absolutely did not want to believe any of this could be true...but inside, I was really nervous and it was taking more and more of my strength to stay "loyal".

I never could explain some of the symptoms I was having, while strictly following Kimkins. I PM'd Kimmer and was given a vague, careless answer. I thought it was "me" and went ahead, full steam. Most days, however, I was sick with misery and with discomfort. I finally left Kimkins under the guise of being "busy" (which I am - hip surgery Tuesday) but deep down, it was something more. Alot more. After reading your "emails" post, it dawned on me how true your reporting is. She treated me like a meaningless cash cow, not like a valued person.

Thank you for such a truly calm and efficient manner in your posts. I know the emotions must be raging inside on some front, but you have exemplified grace under pressure with your blog.

Like others, I'll stay tuned. You've put yourself on the line to tell the truth, and I admire that. When a person selflessly pulls the bullseye to their own chest, in honor of truth and dignity, you know it isn't a lie.

Well done. Once again, you do not disappoint.

Anonymous said...

Becky,
I just found you after leaping from Amy's blog, and I have to tell you, I'm very excited to have finally discovered your writings and your knowledge--what a wealth of knowledge you have--and your writings are not only easy to read but quite informing at the same time. I will return here frequently and I'm happy to have met you through your words.
Sincerely,
Adam

Memememe said...

Hey Becky did you see the info on the cease and desist posted at Ducky's site? Have you thought about this? Might work to get your pics off of her site. God Bless.

LISAinTN said...

Hi Becky,

I have misplaced your email address. If you still have mine, would you please email me? Thanks.

Blessings,
Lisa
(LISAinTN)