Robert L. FitzPatrick

Since 1997, when his ground-breaking book, False Profits was published, Robert FitzPatrick has continuously provided factual, independent research, analysis and insight on the “multi-level marketing” phenomenon. As the editor of the consumer advocacy website, PyramidSchemeAlert.org, which has been visited by millions worldwide, he personally replies to hundreds of consumer and media inquiries each year.

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Robert FitzPatrick has been retained as expert in more than 30 court cases involving "MLM" and pyramid schemes. He has developed informational resources for financial analysts, journalists, academics and regulators, including a statistical analysis of the average losses suffered by participants in multi-level marketing schemes.

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 For commentary and historical context, he was featured in the 2018 podcast, The Dream, the award-winning film documentary, Betting on Zero, and the 2016 segment of the John Oliver Show on HBO. He has appeared on NBC Dateline, ABC World News, CBS 60 Minutes, and Canada’s CBC Marketplace as well as several BBC radio news programs aired in the UK. He has been quoted in all major business publications in stories about multi-level marketing and major newspapers including the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and New York Times.

His booklets and essays, Pyramid Nation, “The 10 Big Lies of Multi-Level Marketing,” The Ten Big Truths About Multi-level Marketing, The Case for Reopening the Amway Pyramid Scheme Case and The Myth of MLM Income Opportunity, have been cited in numerous media. Several have been translated into additional languages and posted on numerous websites. His White Paper, “The Main Street Bubble”, which details the political influence-buying of the multi-level marketing industry and the corruption of federal regulators, was featured on the CNBC documentary, Selling the American Dream.

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In June 2005, Robert FitzPatrick was invited by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka to address banking representatives from that country as well as India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives and Nepal in Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo. The presentation was later published as part of a consumer education campaign against pyramid schemes.

Robert FitzPatrick lives and works in Charlotte, North Carolina with his wife, Terry Thirion, a Belgian-born professional artist.