California Man Arrested For Allegedly Marketing, Selling Herbal Mixtures As FDA-Approved COVID-19 Treatment

A man from Tulare County, California, was arrested Tuesday, July 14, for allegedly falsely marketing and selling herbal mixtures as FDA-approved treatment for COVID-19.

According to a press release from the United States Attorney’s Office, the man, identified as 58-year-old Huu Tieu, the president and chief executive officer of Golden Sunrise Pharmaceutical and Golden Sunrise Nutraceutical, sold herbal mixtures, dubbed the “Emergency D-Virus Plan of Care,” claiming it treated the deadly virus.

In his marketing advertisements, Tieu falsely mentioned one of the mixtures “was the first dietary supplement in the United States to be FDA approved as a prescription medicine to treat serious or life-threatening conditions and had specifically been approved to treat COVID‑19,” the press release stated.

In May, an undercover investigator with the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office approached the accused, telling him her mother had tested positive for the disease. Instead of asking the agent to take her mother to the hospital, Tieu encouraged her to use Golden Sunrise products, claiming it would treat the virus.

“Tieu made these misrepresentations for the purpose of soliciting customers, both patients and health care professionals, to acquire Golden Sunrise products so that he could submit reimbursement claims to the patients’ insurers, including Medicare and Medi-Cal. Tieu dispensed his products to customers in the Porterville area and also shipped the products to other parts of California and the United States,” the press release stated.

Following an investigation, Tieu was taken into custody and charged with “with mail fraud and introducing a misbranded drug into interstate commerce with the intent to defraud.” He could face up to 20 years in prison if found guilty.

“The FDA is actively monitoring the marketplace for fraudulent products claiming to treat COVID-19. Americans expect and deserve treatments that are safe, effective and meet appropriate standards, and the agency will continue to bring to justice those who place profits above the public health during this pandemic. We commend the efforts of our law enforcement partners in this investigation and today’s announcement should serve as a reminder that we will take appropriate action against those who jeopardize the health of Americans while taking advantage of a crisis,” Special Agent in Charge Lisa L. Malinowski, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations Los Angeles Field Office, said in the press release.

The incident comes a day after the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky filed a lawsuit to shut down multiple websites "attempting to lure consumers to 'pre-register' for a non-existent COVID-19 vaccine in exchange for $100 worth of Bitcoin."