An Orange County man, also known for his roles as a part-time actor, has been sentenced to just shy of a decade behind bars for falsely promoting a non-existent cure and treatment for COVID-19. Keith Lawrence Middlebrook, 57, received a 98-month prison sentence handed down by U.S. District Judge Dale S. Fischer, who concurrently imposed a $25,000 fine and an immediate start to Middlebrook's incarceration, as detailed by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California.
After a three-day trial in May 2024, Middlebrook was convicted on 11 counts of wire fraud for pushing his phony cure, dubbed "QC20," and a treatment termed "QP20." These ventures were propagated through various digital means, including text messages, social media posts, and videos, primarily targeting individuals in states across the country like California, Nevada, New York, Texas, and Colorado. Astonishingly, Middlebrook ensnared his victims with outrageous promises of "enormous returns," allegedly guaranteed and risk-free.
The U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California reported that Middlebrook also claimed that basketball icon Earvin “Magic” Johnson was involved with his company as a director and officer. Further fabrications included a purported $10 billion offer for his company from a Dubai-based entity and secured funding from seven investors, each allegedly having invested up to $1 million. During his testimony, Middlebrook obstructed justice by lying about his relationship and dealings with Johnson, which partially influenced the sentence magnitude.
The misrepresentation came to a head when the FBI nabbed Middlebrook in March 2020 after he delivered pills, claimed as the preventive treatment against COVID-19, to an undercover agent posing as a potential investor. The case was spearheaded by an FBI investigation and subsequently prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kenneth R. Carbajal of the Violent and Organized Crime Section, and Joseph S. Guzman of the General Crimes Section. The public information officer for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Ciaran McEvoy, confirmed the details of the sentencing, which were also made available on the official website of the Justice Department.
