DOJ charges small-time actor for Instagram coronavirus cure scam

By Jerry Dunleavy

Published March 26, 2020 9:19pm ET

Add Washington Examiner on Google

DOJ charges small-time actor for Instagram coronavirus cure scam — FILE - This April 26, 2010 file photo shows actor Keith Middlebrook at the premiere of "Iron Man 2" at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles. The FBI has arrested Middlebrook, who officials said falsely claimed to have developed a cure for the coronavirus and solicited investments in a company he said would market the medication. The U.S. Justice Department says in a statement that Keith Lawrence Middlebrook told his 2.4 million Instagram followers that his company would return hundreds of millions of dollars in profit. There are no known cures or vaccinations for the coronavirus. | AP Photo / Matt Sayles, File

The FBI arrested a small-time actor and bodybuilder in an undercover operation after the California man allegedly peddled false coronavirus cures to his millions of Instagram followers.

It is the Justice Department’s first criminal case related to COVID-19 hoaxes, following a successful civil enforcement action shutting down a fraudulent coronavirus test kit website earlier in the week.

Print subscriber? Click here to login/register your account

Digital subscriber? Click here to login/register your account.

Trusted reporting.Unlimited access.

Subscribe for full access to Washington Examiner coverage, expert political analysis, and subscriber-only journalism.

Get Unlimited Access

Already a member? Log in

Cancel anytime.

Tag:

COVID-19 Department of Justice FBI