A part-time actor in California was sentenced on Monday more than eight years in prison for fraudulently soliciting investors for a purported Covid-19 cure he claimed to have developed.

Keith Lawrence Middlebrook, 57, was sentenced to 98 months in federal prison and ordered to pay a $25,000 fine after being convicted by a jury last year of 11 counts of wire fraud, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California announced Monday.

In the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, Middlebrook solicited investors in California, Nevada, New York, Texas, and Colorado via text message and social media statements, claiming that he personally developed a "patent-pending" cure called "QC20" and a purported treatment to prevent infection called "QP20."

Along with fraudulently claiming miraculous results from the purported cure and treatment, Middlebrook claimed 100 percent guaranteed "enormous returns" on investments." Middlebrook falsely claimed that former Los Angeles Lakers point guard Earvin "Magic" Johnson was a director and officer of Middlebrook's company, and that several investors had already put up between $750,000 and $1 million. He also falsely claimed that a party in Dubai had offered to purchase his companies for $10 billion, ensuring investor returns.

U.S. District Judge Dale S. Fischer "based Middlebrook's sentence in part on finding that he obstructed justice by his lying on the witness stand when he testified about his purported relationship and business dealings with Johnson," prosecutors said.

Middlebrook was arrested in March 2020 after he delivered the purported treatment, in the form of pills, to an undercover agent posing as an investor.

According to his IMDB page, Middlebrook has had numerous minor roles in movies and TV series including "The Sopranos," "Thor," "Moneyball," and "Iron Man 3."

-- With reporting by TMX

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COVID-19, COVID-19 vaccine