San Diego doctor Jennings Staley sentenced in hydroxychloroquine scheme

In March and April of 2020, because the coronavirus unfold and other people remoted in their homes, a physician in San Diego boasted that he had his fingers on a “miracle cure,” based on prosecutors — hydroxychloroquine.

In mass-marketing emails from his business, Skinny Beach Med Spa, Jennings Ryan Staley stated the drug was included in his coronavirus “therapy kits,” despite the remedy becoming increasingly scarce. But Staley had a way of getting it, he later advised an undercover federal agent. He deliberate to smuggle in a barrel of hydroxychloroquine powder with the assistance of a Chinese language supplier, prosecutors mentioned.

Staley was sentenced final week to 30 days in prison and a year of residence confinement for the scheme. He pleaded responsible last 12 months.

“At the peak of the pandemic, before vaccines had been obtainable, this doctor sought to revenue from patients’ fears,” U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman mentioned in a news launch. “He abused his position of trust and undermined the integrity of the entire medical occupation.”

Staley’s legal professional did not immediately respond to requests for comment late Monday.

How false hope spread about hydroxychloroquine to treat covid-19 — and the implications that adopted

Hydroxychloroquine is usually prescribed to folks with lupus and rheumatoid arthritis and is used to deal with malaria. The drug was repeatedly touted by President Donald Trump, beginning within the early days of the pandemic, as a “recreation changer.” Trump’s endorsement induced demand for the drug to spike, leading to shortages and ultimately affecting those that wanted it for non-covid health issues. Studies later found that hydroxychloroquine isn't an efficient treatment for covid and did not prevent individuals from becoming sick.

In response to prosecutors, federal brokers started wanting into Staley after concerned prospects alerted the FBI to the advertising and marketing emails from Skinny Seaside Med Spa. The enterprise advertised “world-class magnificence improvements at affordable costs,” courtroom documents show, and offered services including Botox, fat transfer, hair removal and tattoo elimination.

The covid treatment kit got here with a 30-day “concierge medical experience,” intravenous drips, entry to medical hyperbaric oxygen (at an additional fee), and prescriptions for hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin and anti-anxiety medicines, records present.

In late March 2020, an undercover agent responded to one of the emails and inquired about the remedy equipment, investigators mentioned. When Staley and the agent spoke on the cellphone quickly after, the doctor falsely claimed that hydroxychloroquine was a “magic bullet” and an “wonderful cure” that would maintain someone immune from covid for no less than six weeks, based on court docket information.

“It’s preventive and healing,” Staley stated to the undercover agent, courtroom paperwork present. “It’s exhausting to imagine, it’s almost too good to be true. Nevertheless it’s a outstanding scientific phenomenon.”

He added that the virus “literally disappears in hours” after a person takes the drug.

When requested by the agent whether the remedy was a “guaranteed” remedy for covid, Staley mentioned yes but qualified that “there’s all the time exceptions” and “there are not any ensures in life,” courtroom records show.

Throughout the name, Staley additionally advised the agent how he was sourcing the hydroxychloroquine. He mentioned that he “got the final tank of hydroxychloroquine smuggled out of China,” information show, and that he “tricked customs” by labeling the barrel as “sweet potato extract.” He added that the powder was sufficient to make 8,000 doses in gelatin capsules.

Staley later offered the agent prescriptions for generic variations of Viagra and Xanax, a federally controlled substance, despite never asking him “any medical questions,” prosecutors said. The agent ordered six kits — enough for himself and five relations — for $4,000, according to courtroom documents.

A Florida man received tens of millions in coronavirus support. He used it to purchase a Lamborghini, prosecutors say.

Staley was charged in mid-April 2020 and pleaded responsible in July 2021. As a part of his plea agreement, Staley additionally admitted to posing as one among his employees to fill a prescription for hydroxychloroquine to then use it in his kits, prosecutors mentioned. And he agreed to accusations that he lied to federal agents in the course of the investigation.

“Dr. Staley offered a ‘magic bullet’ — a guaranteed cure for COVID-19 to people gripped in worry during a worldwide pandemic,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Suzanne Turner stated in a news release when Staley pleaded guilty. “At present, Dr. Staley admitted it was all a lie as a part of a rip-off to make a quick buck.”

As a part of his sentencing on Friday, Staley was ordered to pay a $10,000 fantastic and to give back the $4,000 the federal agent paid for his household’s equipment. He also needed to hand over “greater than 4,500 tablets of varied pharmaceutical medication, a number of bags of empty tablet capsules, and a handbook capsule-filling machine,” prosecutors said.

In keeping with data from the medical board of California, Staley’s license has been temporarily suspended by a court order.