Current:Home > MarketsUtah man posing as doctor selling fake COVID-19 cure arrested after three-year manhunt-LoTradeCoin
Utah man posing as doctor selling fake COVID-19 cure arrested after three-year manhunt
View Date:2024-12-23 23:29:00
A 63-year-old man was arrested in Utah years after he was charged with crimes related to selling a fake cure for the coronavirus, officials said Monday.
According to court documents, Gordon Hunter Pedersen, 63, sold a "structural alkaline silver" product online that he allegedly said "resonates or vibrates at a frequency that destroys the membrane of the (COVID-19) virus, making the virus incapable" of infecting someone. Pedersen also claimed to be an "anti-aging medical doctor" with PhD degrees in immunology and naturopathic medicine, according to the documents.
A civil restraining order issued in 2020 stopped Pedersen's ability to sell the products, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release from that year. He was also indicted in federal court on charges of mail fraud, wire fraud and felony introduction of misbranded drugs into interstate commerce with intent to defraud and mislead, the United State's Attorney's Office District of Utah said in a news release.
A warrant for Pedersen's arrest was issued in August 2020, when he failed to appear in federal court for the indictment. A three-year manhunt ensued, ending this summer when Pedersen was spotted by federal agents on July 5, 2023.
He was arrested in Utah County, officials said. The news release, shared on Monday, did not say when he was arrested or how he was taken into custody.
Pedersen, of Cedar Hills, Utah, is scheduled to make his initial court appearance on Tuesday afternoon.
Others who sold fake coronavirus cures have also faced charges.
In July 2023, a Florida man and his three sons were convicted of using their online church to sell a toxic industrial bleach as a fake COVID-19 cure. The four men were found guilty of conspiring to defraud the United States and deliver misbranded drugs, according to court records, and will be sentenced in October.
In 2021, the U.S. Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to prevent and prosecute such frauds.
- In:
- Fraud
- United States Department of Justice
- Utah
- Coronavirus
Kerry Breen is a news editor and reporter for CBS News. Her reporting focuses on current events, breaking news and substance use.
veryGood! (56)
Related
- Democrat Ruben Gallego wins Arizona US Senate race against Republican Kari Lake
- McDonald's Version: New Bestie Bundle meals celebrate Swiftie friendship bracelets
- Colorado police shot, kill mountain lion after animal roamed on school's campus
- Taylor Swift drops Christmas merchandise collection, including for 'Tortured Poets' era
- US wholesale inflation picks up slightly in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
- Best fits for Corbin Burnes: 6 teams that could match up with Cy Young winner
- Best fits for Corbin Burnes: 6 teams that could match up with Cy Young winner
- John Krasinski Details Moment He Knew Wife Emily Blunt Was “the One”
- CFP bracket prediction: SEC adds a fifth team to field while a Big Ten unbeaten falls out
- Wildfires burn on both coasts. Is climate change to blame?
Ranking
- Man who stole and laundered roughly $1B in bitcoin is sentenced to 5 years in prison
- Massachusetts lawmakers to consider a soccer stadium for the New England Revolution
- Larry Hobbs, who guided AP’s coverage of Florida news for decades, has died at 83
- How to protect your Social Security number from the Dark Web
- What is ‘Doge’? Explaining the meme and cryptocurrency after Elon Musk's appointment to D.O.G.E.
- Stock market today: Asian shares meander, tracking Wall Street’s mixed finish as dollar surges
- RHOP's Candiace Dillard Bassett Gives Birth, Shares First Photos of Baby Boy
- Caitlin Clark shanks tee shot, nearly hits fans at LPGA's The Annika pro-am
Recommendation
-
Judge hears case over Montana rule blocking trans residents from changing sex on birth certificate
-
Nicky Hilton Shares Her Christmas Plans With Paris, the Secret To Perfect Skin & More Holiday Gift Picks
-
Stock market today: Asian shares meander, tracking Wall Street’s mixed finish as dollar surges
-
Detroit-area police win appeal over liability in death of woman in custody
-
Former NFL coach Jack Del Rio charged with operating vehicle while intoxicated
-
Jana Kramer’s Ex Mike Caussin Shares Resentment Over Her Child Support Payments
-
Artem Chigvintsev Returns to Dancing With the Stars Ballroom Amid Nikki Garcia Divorce
-
Deion Sanders says he would prevent Shedeur Sanders from going to wrong team in NFL draft