FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — A federal jury has convicted a 64-year-old Chinese national of running a Fresno-based scheme that sold more than a million COVID-19 tests nationwide for nearly $4 million, despite the tests being faulty and falsely marketed as FDA-authorized.
Following a two-week trial, the jury found Jia Bei Zhu guilty of fraudulently selling the tests through his company, Universal Meditech Inc., and of lying to the FDA about his identity and role with the company, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
“This verdict holds the defendant accountable for actions that exploited a public health crisis for his own gain. He flouted the lawful authority of the FDA and deliberately deceived the public by repackaging low-quality, foreign-made test kits at a time when accuracy and reliability were critical,” Grant said. “This conduct, tied to the unlawful operations uncovered at the Reedley laboratory, put lives at risk.”…