Consumer Health Digest is a free weekly e-mail newsletter edited by William M. London, Ed.D., M.P.H., with help from Stephen Barrett, M.D. It summarizes scientific reports; legislative developments; enforcement actions; news reports; Web site evaluations; recommended and nonrecommended books; and other information relevant to consumer protection and consumer decision-making. The Digestâs primary focus is on health, but occasionally it includes non-health scams and practical tips. To subscribe, click here.
COVID-19 âvaccineâ seller arrested and sued. Johnny T. Stine, 55, founder and president of North Coast Biologics of Redwood, Washington, has been charged with introducing misbranded drugs into interstate commerce. Stine claims to be a biotech expert. His alleged crimes are punishable by up to one year in prison. [Purported biotech executive charged with introducing misbranded drug into interstate commerce for distribution of âCOVID-19 vaccine.â US Attorneyâs Office Western District of Washington news release, Jan 21, 2021] The criminal complaint against him charges that he:
- claimed in a variety of online postings from as early as March 2, 2020, to have a COVID-19 âvaccineâ that he offered to inject in customers for $400 to $1000 each
- was warned in a joint letter dated May 21, 2020, from the Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Food and Drug Administration that his âvaccineâ was an unapproved new drug, misbranded, and an unlicensed biological product
- represented to a Food and Drug Administration undercover investigator that he had a COVID-19 vaccine for sale
- claimed that his main biotech effort was creating vaccines that attack cancer tumors
- indicated that he had used a similar method to develop his COVID-19 vaccine
- injected someone with his âvaccineâ in March while the investigation was underway
- âvaccinatedâ at least one person who wound up in the hospital battling COVID-19
- represented to undercover investigators that he traveled across the U.S. giving his vaccine and would make trips to Oregon and California to vaccinate family members of the investigators
- communicated with an undercover agent and traveled to Idaho to âvaccinateâ the agent where law enforcement seized the âvaccineâ
A separate Information filed in federal court alleges that Stine: (a) conducted a business preying on cancer patients by selling them untested âvaccinesâ to battle their malignant tumors, and (b) operated a drug manufacturing establishment in Redmond, Washington, that he called a âgarage laboratory.â
In April, the Washington State Attorney General ordered Stine to stop marketing his âvaccineâ for COVID-19. [AG Ferguson sends cease-and-desist letter to Seattle business selling COVID-19 âvaccine.â Washington State Office of the Attorney General news release, Apr 28, 2020] Stine replied that he had stopped selling the product, but he failed to enter into a legally binding agreement. In June, the AG filed a consumer protection lawsuit against Stine and North Coast Biologics. [AG Ferguson files lawsuit against Seattle business that marketed and sold a COVID-19 âvaccine.â Washington State Office of the Attorney General news release, June 12, 2020] Stine allegedly violated the Consumer Protection Act by:
- misrepresenting the health benefits of the purported âvaccineâ they developed and marketed
- claiming that the product they developed could vaccinate consumers against COVID-19 without adequate scientific evidence to support these claims
- offering a so-called âvaccineâ without adequately testing the productâs effectiveness or safety
- claiming that Stine himself was immune from COVID-19 without adequate scientific evidence
- offering to cure a human disease, ailment, or condition without a medical license
The lawsuit was settled with a consent decree that prohibited Stine and his company from marketing any vaccine without rigorous testing and sound scientific evidence. He also agreed to pay $38,500 to the state for the cost of bringing the case plus another $30,000 if he violates the agreement. Thirty individuals who bought the âvaccineâ are entitled to refunds that would total $12,000. [AG Ferguson wins refunds for victims of COVID-19 âvaccineâ scam. Washington State Attorney General news release, June 22, 2020]
âAmericaâs Frontline Doctorsâ founder arrested. Simone Gold, MD, JD, who founded Americaâs Frontline Doctors, has been charged with âentering a restricted buildingâ and âviolent entry or disorderly conduct.â She admitted to the Washington Post that she was among the protesters who entered the Capitol building on January 6. Shortly before the riot, Gold told protestors that COVID-19 is ânon-lethalâ and that citizens should not take “an experimental, biological agent deceptively named a vaccine.” [DâAmbrosia A. Simone Gold arrested for role in Capitol insurrection. MedPage Today, Jan 20, 2021] She stated in an Instagram post written on Dec. 28: âLearn the facts you need to fight for freedom from forced experimental vaccines, government overreach, and unconstitutional lockdowns.â [DâAmbrosia A. Controversial physician joined in storming the Capitol. MedPage Today, Jan 12, 2021] Americaâs Frontline Doctors has protested lockdown restrictions, falsely claimed that hydroxychloroquine is an effective COVID-19 treatment, and incited unwarranted fear about the recently approved vaccines. John Strand, the groupâs communications director, accompanied Gold and was also arrested.
Another member of the group, Stella Immanuel, MD, announced in August that she was under investigation by the Texas Medical Board. In December, she referred to “luciferase vaccine”in a tweet about COVID-19 vaccine side effects. [DâAmbrosia A. ‘America’s Frontline Doctors’ continue to misinform on COVID. MedPage Today, Jan 5, 2021]
More Medicare swindlers get clemency from Trump. Just before leaving office, President Trump:
- reduced the sentence of Salomon Melgen, a Florida eye doctor who had served four years in federal prison for defrauding Medicare of tens of millions of dollars while endangering patients with needless eye injections, laser treatments of retinas, and injecting dyes into patientsâ bloodstreams
- pardoned Faustino Bernadett, a former California anesthesiologist and hospital owner who had been sentenced to 15 months in prison in connection with a scheme that paid kickbacks to doctors for admitting patients to Pacific Hospital of Long Beach for spinal surgery and other treatments
- pardoned John Davis, the former CEO of Comprehensive Pain Specialists, a Tennessee-based chain of pain management clinics. Davis had spent four months in prison after being convicted of accepting more than $750,000 in illegal bribes and kickbacks in a scheme that billed Medicare $4.6 million for durable medical equipment
In late December, Trump commuted the 20-year sentence of former nursing home magnate Philip Esformes, who bilked $1 billion from Medicare and Medicaid. [Schulte F. Trumpâs pardons included health care execs behind massive frauds. Kaiser Health News, Jan 22, 2021]
2001 || 2002 || 2003 || 2004 || 2005 || 2006 || 2007
2008 || 2009 || 2010 || 2011 || 2012 || 2013 || 2014
2015 || 2016 || 2017 || 2018 || 2019 || 2020 || 2021
2022 || 2023 || 2024 || 2025
To subscribe, click here.
