The United States of America has lodged a lawsuit in California federal court over a purported coronavirus cure that allegedly sells for up to $4,000.
Dr. Jennings Ryan Staley has been accused of fraudulently selling the so-called treatment through a spa in California.
According to the coronavirus lawsuit, Staley advertises combinations of prescription drugs and vitamins through Skinny Beach Med Spa as a cure for COVID-19. The alleged coronavirus cure can cost as much as $4,000 for a family of four.
The complaint notes that ABC 10 News San Diego reported on the “unethical” coronavirus cure scheme March 30, 2020. The article notes that Staley was selling the coronavirus treatment packs for thousands of dollars through Skinny Beach.
The lawsuit also says that the allegedly fraudulent cure is sold from another website called COVID19MedicalKits.com.
“On March 27, 2020, Skinny Beach sent an e-mail from [email protected] to its mailing list advertising COVID-19 treatment packs,” notes the coronavirus cure lawsuit. “The email from Skinny Beach included a link to a third-party website at the bottom of the message that said, ‘CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE COVID-19 TREATMENT PACKS.’ Screen shots taken from the third-party web site, go.booker.com, on March 28, 2020, describes Skinny Beach’s offer of a ‘COVID-19 Concierge Medicine Pack (Family)’ for $3,995.00.”
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According to the complaint, the pricey treatment plan offers a 30-day “concierge medicine experience” from the spa doctor, along with at home and in-store “intravenous Drips,” access to hyperbaric chambers (for an additional fee), anti-anxiety treatments, COVID-19 testing, and the ability to send those in respiratory distress to their local emergency room.
The coronavirus cure lawsuit filed against the doctor notes that Staley also offers to prescribe hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin. Hydroxychloroquine is an anti-malaria drug. This drug is under investigation for the potential treatment of COVID-19, which has caused most of the world to shut down.
According to the coronavirus cure lawsuit, hydroxychloroquine has not been approved for the treatment of COVID-19, although clinical trials to investigate its effectiveness for treatment are underway.
Azithromycin is an antibiotic and is used to treat a number of bacterial infections. There is no evidence that the drug treats COVID-19 on its own. However, there is some evidence that it may help the sickest of patients in combination with other drugs, according to Medicine Net.
The coronavirus cure lawsuit details the undercover operation used to obtain information regarding Staley’s COVID-19 Treatment Packs. After emailing the defendant with an inquiry about the coronavirus cure, an undercover agent says he received a call back.
During the call, “Staley explained how the offer worked,” states the complaint. “After purchasing a ‘COVID-19 treatment kit,’ the patient can either pick it up, or have it mailed to him or her. In the event someone in the household ‘gets sick,’ Staley will ‘activate’ the kit, meaning he will tell the household how much of their medications to take.”
“’When someone gets sick, we will start the loading on that person. We will load them and prophylax all of you,’” said the doctor, according to the complaint.
The coronavirus cure lawsuit claims that Staley told the agent that his COVID-19 treatment pack cures the disease because it includes hydroxychloroquine that was apparently “smuggled out of China.”
The doctor also allegedly bragged that he had been selling kits all day and planned to sell hydroxychloroquine powder to the United Kingdom government in addition to obtaining additional sources for drugs.
According to the complaint, Staley also offered to sell the undercover agent other drugs, including Viagra and Xanax, without a medical exam. A few days after ordering the COVID-19 treatment kits, the lawsuit says that a shipment including azithromycin, Xanax, Viagra, hydroxychloroquine, and chloroquine was delivered to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
“Staley devised a scheme to defraud, and to obtain money by means of false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises regarding the curative and preventative efficacy of his COVID-19 treatments,” states the lawsuit.
The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a host of legal issued, from fake coronavirus cures, business closures, and employee rights. Top Class Actions offers a coronavirus legal guide to stay on top of the issues.
The Coronavirus Cure Lawsuit is United States of America v. Jennings Ryan Staley, Case No. 3:20-mj-01407-JLB, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.
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