A component-time actor from Huntington Seaside convicted of soliciting investments for a phony COVID treatment within the midst of the pandemic was sentenced on Monday, Jan. 6, to eight years, two months in federal jail.
Keith Lawrence Middlebrook, 57, was additionally fined $25,000 a 12 months after a jury convicted him of 11 counts of wire fraud in connection to an organization peddling a bogus treatment for COVID through the pandemic’s early days.
In March 2020, Middlebrook — whose display credit embrace bit components in “Moneyball” and “Iron Man 2” — used movies and messages on YouTube and Instagram to solicit potential traders in California, Nevada, New York, Texas and Colorado about what he referred to as a treatment for COVID.
In accordance with prosecutors, Middlebrook claimed to have developed a “patent-pending” COVID treatment and remedy that he advised traders was risk-free, 100% assured and would result in monumental monetary returns.
In an obvious effort to bolster his claims, Middlebrook falsely claimed that Los Angeles Laker legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson was a director and officer at one in every of his corporations, {that a} occasion in Dubai had provided to buy his corporations for $10 billion, and that he had already secured funding from seven traders who every had infused $750,000 to $1 million into the businesses.
Prosecutors allege — and a federal choose agreed — that Middlebrook lied on the witness stand about his claimed relationship and enterprise coping with Johnson. In accordance with prosecution filings, Johnson himself testified through the trial that he by no means supported, invested in or served as a pacesetter in Middlebrook’s firm, and that he didn’t know the part-time actor.
The purported companies have been really simply shell corporations, prosecutors say, that Middlebrook was utilizing to hawk the bogus COVID treatment and remedy.
Middlebrook was arrested by the FBI in March 2020 after delivering tablets that he claimed would assist combat a Coronavirus an infection to an secret agent posing as an investor.
The defendant requested for no less than $1 million every from 4 potential traders, and $400,000 from the agent, prosecutors mentioned. There isn’t a indication he ever collected something.
The identical day a federal jury returned a responsible verdict in opposition to him, Middlebrook posted a video on Instagram criticizing the jurors, prosecutors famous.
“Anyway, a group of people convinced a brain-dead stupid idiot liberal group of people of things that weren’t true about a company that never received or accepted a dollar,” Middlebrook mentioned within the video, based on prosecutors. “In fact, they declined all funds as they were building the company. This group of people convinced these dumb stupid liberal idiots of lies. …
“Everything is being taken care of at the Trump level, the higher level, the Trump level,” Middlebrook added, based on a prosecution submitting.
An legal professional representing Middlebrook in a defense-sentencing temporary denied that Middlebrook dedicated perjury, arguing that “as we all know, celebrities are given more credence and credibility by juries.”
In asking for a lighter sentence, the protection famous that Middlebrook maintains his innocence and argued that “there was no actual harm done to anyone.”
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