A San Diego doctor who sold Covid-19 treatment packs as a miracle cure was sentenced to prison on Friday.
Jennings Ryan Staley, 47, sold treatments from his business, Skinny Beach Med Spa, in late March 2020.
The “concierge medicine experience” that retailed at $3,995 for a family of four, included hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin and anti-anxiety medications along with access to Staley.
Dr. Staley described his products as a “100 percent” cure, a “magic bullet,” an “amazing weapon” and “almost too good to be true” in conversations with an undercover F.B.I. agent. Staley claimed the treatments would provide at least six weeks of immunity.
“At the height of the pandemic, before vaccines were available, this doctor sought to profit from patients’ fears,” U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman said in a news release. “He abused his position of trust and undermined the integrity of the entire medical profession.”
Staley Pleaded Guilty to Breaking Import Law
In a conversation with the undercover agent, Staley admitted how he was trying to source hydroxychlorquine from a smuggler in China, by mislabeling a barrel that he believed contained over 26 pounds of hydroxychloroquine powder as “yam extract.” The amount of powder would be enough to make 8,000 doses in gelatin capsules.
Staley was sentenced to 30 days in prison with an additional year of home arrest. The federal judge also ordered Staley to pay a $10,000 fine and pay back the undercover agent the $3,995 spent on his miracle treatment kit. Staley must also surrender more than 4,500 tablets of various pharmaceutical drugs, multiple bags of empty pill capsules, and a manual capsule-filling machine.