The Justice Department (DOJ) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced on Thursday that medical supplies, more than half a million of them, including N95 respirator masks, were seized from a price gouger have been distributed to healthcare workers combating the CCP virus.
The supplies were discovered by the FBI during an enforcement operation on March 30, the department said. They include about 192,000 N95 respirator masks, 598,000 medical grade gloves, and 130,000 surgical masks, procedure masks, N100 masks, surgical gowns, disinfectant towels, particulate filters, bottles of hand sanitizer, and bottles of spray disinfectant.
HHS used its power under the Defense Production Act to order that the supplies be immediately given to the federal government. The owner of the hoarded supplies will be paid pre-pandemic fair market value for the protective equipment.
“President Trump’s all-of-America approach to combating the coronavirus involves an aggressive approach to stopping hoarding, and the American public can play a role by being on the lookout for this behavior,” he added.
Attorney General William Barr said in a statement that the DOJ’s COVID-19 Hoarding and Price Gouging Task Force has been working “around the clock” with law enforcement partners to crack down on individuals or companies who “illicitly profit” from the fear of the CCP virus.
“If you are amassing critical medical equipment for the purpose of selling it at exorbitant prices, you can expect a knock at your door,” he said.
He was charged with assaulting a federal officer and with making false statements to law enforcement.
The executive order was made pursuant to the Defense Production Act, which prohibits the hoarding of designated items, and directs the HHS to protect scarce medical and health items.