Going on the “Dr. Phil” television show to talk about their shoplifting exploits did not work very well for Matthew and Nora Eaton, says the San Diego News-Tribune. The husband and wife, who went on the popular show and trumpeted their moneymaking scheme of shoplifting toys and reselling them on the Internet, were sentenced to prison yesterday by a federal judge. Dr. Phil McGraw didn't get off easy, either.
District Judge Irma Gonzalez sentenced Matthew Eaton, 34, to 27 months in prison; Nora Eaton, 27, got one year and one day in custody. Gonzalez had little sympathy for Matthew Eaton, calling his conduct in running the scheme over two years “despicable.” She also went off on McGraw, the TV psychologist who dispenses help on his syndicated show with such catchphrases as the sharp “Get real!” the disdainful “How's that working for you?” and the unusual “Did you fall out of the dumb tree?” “What a charlatan this man is,” the judge said. “What a terrible, terrible man.”