Washington Man Arrested for Injecting People with an Unproven COVID-19 Vaccine

A Washington entrepreneur who branded himself a biotech expert and sold an alleged COVID-19 “vaccine” he created in his personal lab has been arrested.

Johnny Stine, 56, has been charged with introducing misbranded drugs into interstate commerce after he advertised his concoction for between $400 and $1,000, according to the Department of Justice.

“Untested, untried, and potentially unsafe — this defendant was injecting people with an unknown substance claiming it was a vaccine for COVID-19,” U.S. Attorney Brian T. Moran said in a statement. “Preying on our fears in the midst of this pandemic is unconscionable.”