California man found guilty in $4M COVID-19 test kit fraud case

A California man, Jia Bei Zhu, a Chinese national linked to a controversial underground biolab, has been convicted by a federal jury on all 12 counts, including conspiracy, wire fraud, and distributing misbranded medical devices. Authorities uncovered Zhu’s fraudulent actions, running a scheme through his Fresno-based company, Universal Meditech Inc. (UMI), selling over one million faulty COVID-19 test kits in the U.S., resulting in nearly $4 million profit. The tests were falsely marketed as FDA-approved and made in the USA, but in reality, many were substandard and missing vital components, putting public health at risk. Zhu imported inexpensive tests from…