Investors who are being fooled by Tony and Thomas are probably going to be people who haven't found their dreams of success materialize. They look at USEI as a real company and figure there must be something real and good happening. What they don't get is that the SEC is not able to chase every bad guy down the toilet---there's not enough manpower, not enough money, and not enough determination. They can't save us all!
Then there's the bunch of promoters that show up on message boards every time Tony and Thomas stir the kettle. Some of them are so convinced that they won't be able to make money through legitimate means, they resort to jumping into the snake pit along with Tony and Thomas Cook figuring, "What the heck, maybe I can make a few bucks this way, right?"
What they may not be pulling together is that this has nothing to do with investing. It's just one scam being built upon another. "Play money" will always be nothing more than play money. I don't believe a real life investor has reason to expect to make profits playing this game of dishonesty.
So they will pat themselves on the back as they dream of riches. They will praise Tony Miller---not as a fine businessman but as a con enabling them to con others. Unfortunately, it usually fails to work out well---except for Tony.
I thank you, Masu3701, for attempting to save others as you're doing. You deserve praises from all the folks sitting on the edge of financial disaster.