Coronavirus: boss of Chinese pharmacy chain gets 15 years for selling counterfeit face masks
- Li Dong, chairman of Beijing Jinghai Kangbaixin Medicine Co, and two associates said to have made US$608,000 from sale of ‘3M’ products
- Company was earlier fined US$14,000 for profiteering on PM2.5 masks
Li Dong, chairman of Beijing Jinghai Kangbaixin Medicine Co, and two of his associates were found guilty by a court in the city’s Chaoyang district on Friday, local newspaper The Economic Observer reported.
Li’s associates were identified as Li Yuzhang and Luo Hanyi. The report did not specify what sentences they were given, but said all three planned to appeal the court’s ruling.
The case dates back to January when Li bought and then sold through his chain of stores more than 580,000 fake masks advertised as being made by 3M. Demand for masks was soaring at the time as the coronavirus spread across the country.
However, after receiving complaints about the quality of the products, local authorities began an investigation, which ended with Li and his associates being arrested on February 1.
On February 25, they were charged with selling counterfeit and substandard goods by prosecutors in Chaoyang.