A part-time actor who has claimed to be the inspiration for HBO’s Ballers was sentenced to eight years in federal prison for soliciting investors in companies that marketed a bogus cure for COVID-19 during the early days of the pandemic.
Keith Lawrence Middlebrook, 57, of Huntington Beach, California, who was convicted in May of 11 counts of wire fraud, was handed the sentence on Monday and ordered to pay a $25,000 fine, the U.S. The Department of Justice said in a news release.
Prosecutors said that at the height of the pandemic, Middlebrook “solicited potential investors in California, Nevada, New York, Texas, and Colorado via text messages, videos and statements posted on YouTube and Instagram about his purported cure for COVID-19.”
Middlebrook’s so-called cure was called “QC20,” and he had also marketed a purported COVID treatment, which he called “QP20,” the release stated. He claimed to have personally developed a “patent-pending” cure and a treatment to prevent the coronavirus infection.
In March 2020, Middlebrook was arrested by the FBI after he delivered pills – which were purportedly the treatment that prevents coronavirus infection – to an undercover agent who was posing as an investor, according to the release.
After a three-day trial in May 2024, a jury found Middlebrook guilty of 11 counts of wire fraud.
At the sentencing hearing in federal court on Monday, Middlebrook stated that he had consulted with seven attorneys and eight doctors “from the very beginning, for a product of this magnitude.”
The sentencing also focused on Middlebrook’s alleged relationship with former Lakers player Magic Johnson, whom he claimed was a director and officer of one of his companies, according to the release.
But when Johnson took the stand at Middlebrook’s trial, he testified that he had never supported, invested in, or been an officer or a member of the board of directors of his company, according to the release. He also testified that he did not know Middlebrook and had never committed to working with him.
The former basketball star’s testimony played a part in United States District Judge Dale S. Fischer’s decision at the sentencing hearing, with the judge stating that he found Middlebrook had obstructed justice by lying on the witness stand when he testified about his purported relationship and business dealings with Johnson.
Middlebrook’s attorney, Andrew Stein, who was hired after the trial said a Stanford doctor had testified that Middlebrook’s compound worked, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Middlebrook had remained free on a $150,000 bond, but after his sentencing, Judge Fischer immediately remanded him to federal custody to begin serving his prison sentence.
The former actor, who had roles in “Iron Man 2” and “Moneyball,” according to his IMDB page, also claims in his bio that th HBO show Ballers was written about his life and career.
