Keith Middlebrook promised investors he was developing a cure to the coronavirus, and he claimed it was coming soon.

He created a phony company, Quantum Prevention CV, Inc., offered shares, and told potential investors that basketball legend Magic Johnson was involved, prosecutors alleged in a March 25 complaint filed in the Central District of California. He claimed that he already had a $10 billion offer from a company in Dubai and guaranteed that those making a $300,000 investment would get a return of $30 million. He also claimed that the company would be used to market pills that would prevent coronavirus infections, plus an injectable cure for those already suffering from COVID-19.