A Huntington Beach man who allegedly sought financing to mass produce an unproven pill he said would prevent COVID-19 and an injectable cure for those already suffering from the virus was indicted Friday on federal fraud charges.
Keith Lawrence Middlebrook was named in an indictment that charges him with 11 counts of wire fraud stemming from solicitations he allegedly made to potential investors in Nevada, New York, Texas and Colorado.
“Through text messages, videos, and statements sent to potential investors and posted on the internet, including on Instagram and YouTube, defendant Middlebrook falsely claimed to have developed a cure for the COVID-19 virus, which he called `QC20,’ and a treatment that prevented a person from being infected by the COVID-19 virus, which he called `QP20,”’ according to the indictment filed in federal court in Los Angeles.
An arraignment date has not been scheduled. Each of the 11 counts of wire fraud alleged in the indictment carries a penalty of up to 20 years in federal prison.
Middlebrook — who is associated with several addresses, including residences in Westwood, Newport Beach and Murrieta — was arrested in March while delivering the pills to an undercover FBI agent posing as an investor, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Prior to his arrest, Middlebrook allegedly told the undercover agent that a $300,000 investment would yield $30 million in returns.
Source: My News LA