San Diego physician Jennings Staley sentenced in hydroxychloroquine scheme

In March and April of 2020, as the coronavirus unfold and other people isolated in their properties, a health care provider in San Diego boasted that he had his fingers on a “miracle cure,” in line with prosecutors — hydroxychloroquine.

In mass-marketing emails from his business, Skinny Seaside Med Spa, Jennings Ryan Staley said the drug was included in his coronavirus “remedy kits,” regardless of the remedy becoming more and more scarce. But Staley had a approach of getting it, he later advised an undercover federal agent. He deliberate to smuggle in a barrel of hydroxychloroquine powder with the help of a Chinese language supplier, prosecutors stated.

Staley was sentenced last week to 30 days in prison and a year of dwelling confinement for the scheme. He pleaded guilty last yr.

“At the height of the pandemic, before vaccines were accessible, this doctor sought to revenue from patients’ fears,” U.S. Legal professional Randy Grossman stated in a information release. “He abused his place of trust and undermined the integrity of the entire medical career.”

Staley’s attorney didn't instantly reply to requests for comment late Monday.

How false hope unfold about hydroxychloroquine to deal with covid-19 — and the consequences that adopted

Hydroxychloroquine is commonly prescribed to people with lupus and rheumatoid arthritis and is used to treat malaria. The drug was repeatedly touted by President Donald Trump, starting in the early days of the pandemic, as a “sport changer.” Trump’s endorsement brought on demand for the drug to spike, resulting in shortages and ultimately affecting those who needed it for non-covid well being problems. Research later found that hydroxychloroquine will not be an efficient remedy for covid and didn't stop people from becoming sick.

Based on prosecutors, federal brokers began wanting into Staley after concerned clients alerted the FBI to the advertising emails from Skinny Seashore Med Spa. The business advertised “world-class magnificence innovations at inexpensive prices,” court docket documents present, and supplied providers including Botox, fat switch, hair removing and tattoo elimination.

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

In late March 2020, an spy responded to one of the emails and inquired in regards to the therapy package, investigators said. When Staley and the agent spoke on the telephone quickly after, the physician falsely claimed that hydroxychloroquine was a “magic bullet” and an “amazing treatment” that would hold someone immune from covid for at least six weeks, according to courtroom records.

“It’s preventive and curative,” Staley mentioned to the spy, court docket documents show. “It’s laborious to consider, it’s nearly too good to be true. However it’s a exceptional clinical phenomenon.”

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

When requested by the agent whether or not the medicine was a “guaranteed” treatment for covid, Staley said yes however qualified that “there’s all the time exceptions” and “there are not any guarantees in life,” courtroom records present.

Throughout the name, Staley also informed the agent how he was sourcing the hydroxychloroquine. He mentioned that he “bought the final tank of hydroxychloroquine smuggled out of China,” data 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 supplied the agent prescriptions for generic versions of Viagra and Xanax, a federally managed substance, regardless of never asking him “any medical questions,” prosecutors stated. The agent ordered six kits — enough for himself and five family members — for $4,000, in response to courtroom paperwork.

A Florida man received 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 also admitted to posing as one among his workers 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 brokers during the investigation.

“Dr. Staley supplied a ‘magic bullet’ — a assured treatment for COVID-19 to folks gripped in concern during a world pandemic,” FBI Particular Agent in Charge Suzanne Turner said in a news release when Staley pleaded guilty. “As we speak, Dr. Staley admitted it was all a lie as part of a rip-off to make a quick buck.”

As part of his sentencing on Friday, Staley was ordered to pay a $10,000 effective and to offer back the $4,000 the federal agent paid for his family’s package. He additionally needed to hand over “more than 4,500 tablets of assorted pharmaceutical medication, multiple bags of empty tablet capsules, and a manual capsule-filling machine,” prosecutors stated.

In response to information from the medical board of California, Staley’s license has been temporarily suspended by a courtroom order.