‘Iron Man 3’ Actor Arrested by Feds After Claiming He Cured Coronavirus on Social Media

Over the course of the last few weeks, we have heard quite a bit about the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918.

This was a different virus altogether than the one we are facing now, but this century-old battle is the closest thing we have to todays’ COVID-19 pandemic to work from.  Researching the 1918 incident is providing guidance for modern people all around the world today, particularly as it pertains to the effects of social distancing.

But there are some monstrous societal differences between modern day and the world that Spanish Flu sufferers lived in, the most obvious being our ability to transmit information at nearly light speed here in this digital 21st century.

Now, not all of that information is “good” information, of course, and authorities have been on the lookout for those spreading disinformation and misinformation.

Some of those caught on the wrong side of the fence would surprise you.

Keith Lawrence Middlebrook, 53, was charged with one count of attempted wire fraud, a felony offense that carries a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison, according to the FBI.

Middlebrook, whose IMDb credits include tiny, uncredited parts in Iron Man 3, Thor and Moneyball, allegedly claimed to have personally developed a “patent-pending cure” for coronavirus, the pandemic that has devastated the world, according to authorities. (Currently, there is no antiviral treatment for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, and no vaccine to prevent coronavirus infection).

Middlebrook — who actually has a large social media following, including 2.5 million followers on Instagram — was seeking investors for his fraudulent endeavor and claimed Earvin “Magic” Johnson was a member of his company’s board of directors. The Lakers’ icon told authorities he does not know Middlebrook.

The actor’s claims were wild, to say the least.

“I have Developed the Cure for the CoronaVirus COVID-19…*LA Patient tested Positive for CoronaVirus got up and walked out 51 hours after my Injection,” Middlebrook allegedly said via text to one would-be investor who worked with the FBI on its investigation. In the same text message, cited by federal authorities, Middlebrook allegedly wrote, “Investors who come in at ground level say $1M will parachute with $200M – $300M…Conservative Minimum.”

Middlebrook was arrested during a meeting at which he delivered some sort of pills — purportedly the coronavirus treatment — to an undercover agent who was posing as an investor, the FBI said.

It seems as though Middlebrook was on Team Thanos this whole time.