UTAH COUNTY, Utah, July 31, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — A Utah County man masquerading as a doctor has been sentenced to three years in federal prison for fraud including a bogus COVID cure.
In March, on the second day of trial, Gordon Hunter Pedersen, 64, of Cedar Hills, ended the proceedings by pleading guilty to committing mail fraud and “introduction of misbranded drugs into interstate commerce with intent to defraud and mislead,” according to a Tuesday press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Utah.
According to court documents, and statements made at the 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.”
Pedersen distributed his Silver Products through the company My Doctor Suggests, LLC (MDS), where he was 25% owner and the company spokesman and primary marketer, prosecutors said. “In total, the known revenue of My Doctor Suggests related to this scheme is estimated around $6,110,473.”
“Mr. Pedersen,” said Special Agent in Charge Shohini Sinha of the Salt Lake City FBI Field Office, “was a modern day snake oil salesman, exploiting vulnerable people, especially during the pandemic.”
“Pedersen profited off citizens during a vulnerable time then fled from law enforcement for three years to avoid prosecution,” said U.S. Attorney for Utah Trina A. Higgins.
On May 17, 2021, the U.S. 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.
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.
