On Monday, a part-time actor from Huntington Beach was handed down an eight-year federal prison sentence for duping investors into funding bogus COVID-19 cures and treatments, as revealed by prosecutors. Keith Lawrence Middlebrook, aged 57, falsely claimed to have devised a patent-pending remedy dubbed "QC20" and a preventive treatment known as "QP20," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Middlebrook, with texts, videos, and social media posts on YouTube and Instagram, aggressively sought investors across California, Nevada, New York, Texas, and Colorado, peddling this alleged COVID-19 panacea. He boldly stated that Earvin "Magic" Johnson, the former Los Angeles Lakers point guard, was a director and officer of his company. Furthermore, he dangled a series of hollow promises, including miraculous outcomes and risk-free, 100% guaranteed "astronomical returns" on investments, prosecutors recounted.
The U.S. district judge partially based Middlebrook's sentence on his obstruction of justice by perpetuating falsehoods on the witness stand about his purported ties and business transactions with Johnson. He also misled investors by asserting that a Dubai party had offered to acquire his companies for $10 billion, which would safeguard their investments. Moreover, he fabricated stories about securing funding from seven investors, each contributing between $750,000 and $1 million, according to prosecutors.
Middlebrook's arrest came in March 2020, when he delivered pills purportedly preventing coronavirus infection to an undercover FBI agent posing as an investor. Following a three-day trial in May 2024, a jury convicted Middlebrook on 11 counts of wire fraud.
IMDb lists Middlebrook's credits in 33 major movies and TV shows, with his debut role in "Iron Man 2." Intriguingly, his biography also boasts that the HBO TV show "Ballers" was loosely based on his career and real life.
