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Man Sued For Caylee Doll, Vick Chew Toy

POSTED: Thursday, April 9, 2009
UPDATED: 11:36 pm EDT April 9, 2009

A Jacksonville businessman and his company that sold chew toys resembling former NFL player Michael Vick and planned to sell dolls named after slain 2-year-old Caylee Anthony are sued by Florida's attorney general.
Caylee Sunshine doll
A Jacksonville businessman planned to start sales of "The Inspirational Caylee Sunshine Doll" in January.

Jacksonville-based Showbiz Promotions and its owner, Jaime Salcedo, represented to potential customers that profits from the Caylee doll would benefit the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and profits from the chew toys would be directed to local animal shelters and organizations, according to Attorney General Bill McCollum.

Prosecutors said little or no contributions were made to these organizations by either Salcedo or Showbiz Promotions.

"Any company that intentionally misleads innocent consumers to believe they are contributing to worthy charitable causes is absolutely reprehensible," McCollum said. "It is disgusting that a company would exploit a tragic situation for personal gain."

Salcedo told Channel 4 in January he canceled sales of "Caylee Sunshine" merchandise and doll after public outcry about selling items that resembled the 2-year-old found dead near her grandparents' Orlando home six months after she disappeared.

The Attorney General's Economic Crimes Division began investigating Salcedo and Showbiz Promotions after receiving more than 200 complaints about the sale of the Michael Vick dog chew toy in 2008. Vick is nearing the end of a prison sentence for participating in a dogfighting operation in Georgia and Virginia.

Michael Vick chew toy"The case against Vick galvanized the public against the horrible cruelty of dogfighting, and it is inexcusable for anyone to take advantage of that sentiment for their own gain," said John Goodwin, manager of animal fighting issues for The Humane Society of the United States. "We congratulate Attorney General McCollum for demonstrating that this sort of alleged fraud, at the expense of struggling animal shelters, will not go unpunished."

New complaints surfaced when the company planned to use Caylee Anthony's name and likeness for the "Sunshine Doll Collection" and other "Caylee Sunshine" merchandise. The lawsuit says the company and Salcedo intentionally misrepresented that a $5,000 donation was made to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by Showbiz Promotions when only a $10 donation was confirmed.

"I can't make any comments on the allegations because if we do go to court I'll have to address those there," Salcedo said.

He told Channel 4 sales of the "Caylee Sunshine Doll" were suspended and no money was ever made so no money was ever donated.

"We haven't committed a crime. We may have committed a moral crime in some people's eyes but that's not punishable by law," Salcedo said.

"This effort is outrageous and attempts to exploit the tragic murder of a child for personal benefit," said Ernie Allen, president and CEO of National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. "NCMEC does not and will not ever be associated with any attempt to commercialize or raise money in connection with the victimization of any child."

The lawsuit asks that the Duval County Circuit Court issue a permanent injunction prohibiting the defendants from operating CayleeDoll.com and from engaging in any activity in violation of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.

The lawsuit also seeks $10,000 in civil penalties for each willful violation of the law.

Channel 4's Vickie Pierre found that Salcedo had moved from his San Marco residence, his office number was disconnected and the man who answered Salcedo's cell phone line said it was no longer his phone.

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