A New York man is facing fraud charges after selling people stolen coronavirus test kits for $200 and never giving them results

• A New York man has been charged with mail fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy over a scheme to sell stolen coronavirus tests without ever providing results, federal prosecutors said.
• An FBI agent busted the scheme after buying one of the tests and tracing it to a lab in Georgia, which confirmed the tests had been stolen.
• Henry Gindt II, 34, was arrested Thursday and has not yet made a plea.
• The federal government has been cracking down on coronavirus-related fraud and scams for weeks, including schemes to sell fake coronavirus test kits or fake coronavirus cures.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

A New York man is facing federal fraud charges after authorities said he sold stolen coronavirus test kits to people who thought he worked at a certified lab, then never provided any results.

Henry Gindt II, 34, was charged May 4 with mail fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit mail or wire fraud, according to a newly unsealed criminal complaint.

Gindt was arrested Thursday, after an FBI agent bought one of the tests for $195. The agent initially posed as a customer having difficulties finalizing the online payment, then Gindt told him over the phone that a Georgia lab would process the test.

But no tests were ever processed, according to a statement from federal prosecutors in the Western District of Pennsylvania.

Instead, Gindt charged customers between $135 and $200 under the guise that he was connected to a certified lab, the prosecutors alleged.

According to the FBI agent, the stolen tests came from an unnamed lab in Georgia, which confirmed that a former executive had stolen 50 tests. The lab told the FBI it had no affiliation with Gindt.

Gindt has not yet made a plea, and it's unclear if he has retained a lawyer.

The federal government has been cracking down on coronavirus-related fraud and scams for weeks. The US Food and Drug Administration, for instance, has sent a number of warning letters to companies pushing bogus coronavirus "treatments," such as teas, tinctures, or essential oils.

The Justice Department has also pursued similar charges against the owner of a website that sold fake coronavirus test kits.

"Let this be a message to anyone who wants to scam our fellow citizens during this pandemic: the Department of Justice will take swift action to disrupt your scheme and then we will arrest you," US Attorney Scott Brady said in a statement. "Gindt tried to profit from the pandemic by selling stolen test kits and services without ever delivering the promised results. Instead, we shut him down and now he is facing prison time."

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