Fake Doctor Selling Unproven COVID-19 Cure is Sentenced to 36 Months

Salt Lake City, Utah - A United States District Court Judge sentenced a Utah County man Monday, who posed as a fake doctor, to three years' imprisonment and one year of supervised release after he scammed consumers looking to heal a variety of ailments, including Coronavirus.

In March, on the second day of trial, Gordon Hunter Pedersen, 64, of Cedar Hills, Utah, pleaded guilty to committing mail fraud and introduction of misbranded drugs into interstate commerce with intent to defraud and mislead.

According to court documents, and statements made at the change of plea hearing, Pedersen posed as a practicing medical doctor, lied about his credentials, and exaggerated the palliative abilities of his consumer products containing silver to make money. Between 2012 and 2020, Pedersen orchestrated and executed an expansive scheme to sell his silver products under the pretense that they were a suitable and effective remedy for various illnesses and ailments including influenza, diabetes, arthritis, pneumonia, and the novel Coronavirus. His fraudulent salesmanship generated thousands of dollars and his sales skyrocketed in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic began, and before approved vaccines were available. Mr. Pedersen distributed his Silver Products through his company My Doctor Suggests, LLC (MDS), where he was 25% owner and the company spokesman and primary marketer. In total, the known revenue of My Doctor Suggests related to this scheme is estimated around $6,110,473.

In addition, Pedersen committed mail fraud by using the United States Postal Service to deliver his silver products in furtherance and in execution of the scheme and his intent to defraud the consumer. His silver products included silver lozenges, silver probiotics, silver soap, silver mouthwash and silver gel.

"Mr. Pedersen defrauded consumers for years by lying about his credentials and the products he sold. His years of deliberate misrepresentations resulted in financial harm to consumers who trusted in his claims, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic," said U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah. "Pedersen profited off citizens during a vulnerable time then fled from law enforcement for three years to avoid prosecution. My office remains committed to prosecuting financial fraud and seeking justice for victims."

"Mr. Pedersen was a modern day snake oil salesman, exploiting vulnerable people, especially during the pandemic," said Special Agent in Charge Shohini Sinha of the Salt Lake City FBI. "His sentencing reflects the dedicated work of the FBI and our partners in rooting out fraud and ensuring the community's safety."

"The FDA continues to work with its law enforcement partners to protect the public health by identifying, investigating and bringing to justice those who attempted to profit from the pandemic by offering and distributing fraudulent products claiming to treat or cure COVID-19," said Special Agent in Charge Charles Grinstead, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations Kansas City Field Office. "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."

The case was investigated jointly by the FDA's Office of Criminal Investigation (FDA-OCI), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Salt Lake City Field Office, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Valuable assistance was also provided by the U.S. Marshals Service.

Assistant United States Attorneys Jacob J. Strain and Brian Williams from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case with assistance from Trial Attorney Speare Hodges and Sarah Williams from the Department of Justice, Civil Division' Consumer Protection Branch. James Smith from FDA's Office of Chief Council also assisted.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department's response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus and https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus/combatingfraud.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice's National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline via the NCDF Web Complaint Form.

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