Utah ‘snake oil salesman’ who sold silver as COVID cure sent to prison

Pat Reavy, KSL.com

SALT LAKE CITY (KSL.com) — A Cedar Hills man has been sentenced to 3 years successful national situation aft posing arsenic a expert and trading products he claimed would cure COVID-19, past going connected nan tally for 3 years.

Gordon Hunter Pedersen, 64, was indicted successful national tribunal successful July of 2020 pinch message fraud, ligament fraud and for introducing misbranded narcotics into interstate commerce pinch nan intent to defraud aliases mislead buyers, according to tribunal documents.

Pedersen was a portion proprietor of My Doctor Suggests LLC successful Utah County, according to investigators. He was besides nan proprietor and usability of GP Silver LLC.

“Since astatine slightest 2014 … Pedersen promoted and sold metallic products … arsenic a curen for various diseases, including arthritis, diabetes, influenza, pneumonia and much precocious coronavirus illness 2019,” charging documents state.

In early 2020, Pedersen utilized his societal media channels, podcasts and different websites and “began fraudulently promoting his metallic products arsenic effective protection against, and curen for, COVID-19,” nan charges state. He besides “experienced a important summation successful sales” astatine that time.

“In total, nan known gross of My Doctor Suggests related to this strategy is estimated astir $6,110,473,” according to nan U.S. Attorney for Utah’s Office.

After he was indicted, Pedersen was ordered to look successful national tribunal connected Aug. 25, 2020. A warrant was issued for his apprehension erstwhile he grounded to show up. Last August, he was taken into custody.

In March, Pedersen pleaded blameworthy to “committing message fraud and preamble of misbranded narcotics into interstate commerce pinch intent to defraud and mislead,” nan U.S. Attorney’s Office stated.

In summation to being sentenced connected Monday to 3 years successful national prison, Pedersen will beryllium placed connected supervised merchandise for a twelvemonth aft his clip successful prison.

“Mr. Pedersen was a modern-day snake lipid salesman, exploiting susceptible people, particularly during nan pandemic,” said Special Agent successful Charge Shohini Sinha of nan Salt Lake City FBI.

“Mr. Pedersen defrauded consumers for years by lying astir his credentials and nan products he sold. His years of deliberate misrepresentations resulted successful financial harm to consumers who trusted successful his claims, particularly during nan COVID-19 pandemic,” said U.S. Attorney for Utah Trina Higgins. “Pedersen profited disconnected citizens during a susceptible time, past fled from rule enforcement for 3 years to debar prosecution. My agency remains committed to prosecuting financial fraud and seeking justness for victims.”

In 2021, it was announced that My Doctor Suggests LLC had severed ties pinch Pedersen and nan institution agreed to plead blameworthy to 1 count of making mendacious and misleading trading claims of ingestible metallic products arsenic a supplier curen for COVID-19.