Fake virus cure irks Lelling

Quincy man pleads guilty to creating bogus treatment

’At the height of a raging pandemic killing thousands of people a day, this defendant tried to profit from conning people into believing that a pesticidecoated lanyard would protect them.’

ANDREW LELLING U.S. attorney for Massachusetts

A Quincy man has pleaded guilty to selling people over eBay a pesticide-covered lanyard, claiming, in the middle of a pandemic, that it will protect them against viruses.

Jiule Lin, 38, pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of distribution and sale of an unregistered pesticide.

“At the height of a raging pandemic killing thousands of people a day, this defendant tried to profit from conning people into believing that a pesticide-coated lanyard would protect them from viruses like COVID-19. This was dangerous, opportunistic fraud,” said U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling in a statement Friday. “We will always pursue these kinds of cases — I have zero tolerance for people who take advantage of the fears of others during a national health crisis.”

Prosecutors said that beginning in March and April — as the coronavirus pandemic set in across the United States Lin listed “Toamit Virus Shut Out” on the e-commerse giant eBay.

Based on the listing, it was a card-shaped object to be worn as a lanyard around a person’s neck, prosecutors say. The listing, they said, “depicted the removal of germs or viruses through the wearing of the device.” The listings said the main ingredient was chlorine dioxide.

Lin’s product wasn’t registered with the feds, and selling an unregistered pesticide is illegal.

A sentencing hearing hasn’t yet been scheduled for Lin, who faces up to to one year in prison and a fine of $25,000.

Stuart caHill / Herald staff file ‘ZERO TOLERANCE’: U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling highly criticized the alleged criminal behavior of trying to sell necklaces with pesticides on them as a coronavirus defense, saying, ‘This was dangerous, opportunistic fraud.’