A Portervile man pleaded guilty on Tuesday in federal court to selling misbranded drugs to treat COVID-19.
U.S. Attorney Phillip Talbert announced the guilty plea on Wednesday.
Driving the news: Huu Tieu, 61, pleaded guilty to three counts of introduction of misbranded drugs into interstate commerce.
- Tieu was the President and CEO of Golden Sunrise Pharmaceutical Inc. and Golden Sunrise Nutraceutical Inc., which made and sold products marketed to effectively treat a variety of medical conditions.
- In March 2020, Tieu started to sell a set of herbal mixtures he called “Emergency D-Virus Plan of Care” as COVID-19 treatment.
- That product consisted of a box containing various vials of fGolden Sunrise drug products, including one called “Imunstem,” along with an Emergency D-Virus Plan of Care information sheet.
- Tieu mailed the products to practitioners, public officials and others throughout California and elsewhere.
- Golden Sunrise’s products claimed they were “uniquely qualified to treat and modify the course of the virus epidemic in China and other countries,” which was false and misleading.
- Tieu also falsely claimed that the products had been the first dietary supplement in the United State to be approved as a prescription medicine by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat COVID-19. The FDA never approved any product from Golden Sunrise.
What we’re watching: Tieu is scheduled to be sentenced on June 12 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara McAuliffe.
- He faces a maximum of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine.
