Porterville man said he had a ‘cure’ for coronavirus. He was lying, Justice Department says
A Porterville man who allegedly marketed a fake cure for COVID-19 was arrested Tuesday and charged with mail fraud and selling a misbranded drug, according to the Department of Justice.
Huu Tieu, 58, is the president and chief executive officer of Golden Sunrise Pharmaceutical Inc. and Golden Sunrise Nutraceutical Inc., companies both headquartered in Porterville.
Between April 25 and June 9, Tieu allegedly marketed herbal mixtures that he said were a cure for the novel coronavirus through those companies, according to Tieu’s indictment.
Tieu made “false statements” about the products on the companies’ websites, Facebook pages and in emails to the media, the indictment says.
Tieu allegedly said that a product called “ImunStem” was the first dietary supplement in the U.S. to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a prescription medicine to treat serious or life-threatening conditions and had specifically been approved to treat COVID‑19.
“In reality, the FDA has never approved any Golden Sunrise product for any intended use and, on at least two occasions, has told Tieu in writing that ImunStem is not FDA approved,” the Justice Department said in a release.
Tieu allegedly shipped products within the Porterville area and in other parts of California and the U.S., trying to collect reimbursements from patients’ insurers.
An undercover investigator with the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office met with Tieu in person on May 8, according to the release. She said her mother was 68 and “very sick with COVID-19.”
“The investigator asked Tieu if she should take her mother to the hospital,” the Justice Department said in the release. “Tieu responded, ‘No. You cannot go in there,’ and instead, encouraged her to use Golden Sunrise products.”
If convicted, Tieu faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the mail fraud counts and three years in prison and a $10,000 fine on the misbranding counts.
This story was originally published July 14, 2020 at 11:40 AM.
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