Keith Middlebrook indicted in fraudulent scam related to Covid-19

Photo: Keth Middlebrook

Ben Miller, writing for L. A. Biz, tells the story of the indictment of a man involved in a scam related to the covid-19 excitement –

“A Southern California man who allegedly claimed he had treatments and cures for Covid-19 was indicted for fraud on Friday.

A federal grand jury indicted Keith Lawrence Middlebrook, 52, of Huntington Beach on 11 counts of wire fraud.

The indictments allege that Middlebrook tried to scam investors in Nevada, New York, Texas and Colorado by saying his companies would market pills he claimed would prevent coronavirus infections and produce an injectable cure for those already suffering from Covid-19.

“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.

Middlebrook was arrested on March 25 during a meeting with an FBI undercover agent who posed as an investor into Middlebrook’s Quantum Prevention CV Inc. The FBI said that Middlebrook claimed his investors included former NBA star Earvin “Magic” Johnson, but Johnson told investigators that he knew nothing about Middlebrook’s company.

“To bolster these claims, defendant Middlebrook falsely represented that an unnamed party in Dubai had offered to purchase the companies for $10 billion, and this offer would secure the victim-investors’ investments in QP20 and/or QC20; and that he had secured funding from seven investors who had each already invested between $750,000 and $1 million,” the government said in a Friday statement.

Middlebrook claimed on his Instagram page, which has since been taken down, that he is “a “Genius Entrepreneur, Inventor: COVID19 Immunity & Coronavirus Cure.” It also includes video claiming that he found a cure for coronavirus, where he said: “Yes I have Developed the Cure for the CoronaVirus COVID-19. … After 3 Days of taking it the person is Immune to the Virus and STAYS immune as long as they continue taking it once a day it the morning.”

Each of the 11 counts of wire fraud alleged in the indictment carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.