A man in Los Angeles allegedly tried to scam people out of financial investments by asking them to endorse a drug he reportedly claimed he created that was successful for curing COVID-19, and he is facing federal charges for the accusation.
53-year-old Keith Lawrence Middlebrook has a large online presence on social media under the name “The Real Iron Man.”
Middlebrook reportedly had an Instagram account as well as a YouTube channel where he marketed items such as a product claiming to reverse the aging process, in addition to having an acting career with small roles in several well-known television shows and movies.
On March 22, Middlebrook reportedly posted a video stating that he had invented medication to prevent people from catching the Coronavirus, in addition to a treatment that cures it completely.
According to the authorities, Middlebrook spent a total of nine days beginning on March 13 trying to secure money from people he approached with the alleged promise of earning immense amounts of money on their investments. He additionally allegedly added a bonus of offering to give them his products to protect and/or cure them.
Middlebrook allegedly sent a letter to a potential investor stating the effectiveness of the alleged cure saying that his experience with using it was that he “got up and walked out 51 hours after my Injection…Investors who come in at ground level say $1M will parachute with $200M – $300M.”
After a witness contacted the FBI on March 18 claiming they were targeted in the alleged scam, an agent set up a meeting with Middlebrook acting as if he was an interested investor.
When the agent met with Middlebrook on March 25 at the designated location to retrieve pills that the suspect allegedly agreed to hand over, Middlebrook was taken into custody.
Middlebrook was incarcerated in the MDC Detention Center in Los Angeles, and he is expected to face charges for felony attempted wire fraud.
If he is convicted as charged, Middlebrook could spend 20-years in federal prison.
If you or someone you love is suspected of a theft crime, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.