Philadelphia company indicted for false claims its pesticide killed COVID-19

A New Jersey man and his Philadelphia-based company have been charged for allegedly making false claims about pesticide products being effective against COVID-19, according to federal prosecutors.

Prosecutors said ViaClean Technologies, LLC and its founder, James Young, 46, of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, conspired to commit mail and wire fraud by misleading customers about the effectiveness of their products. Sean Storrie, 59, of Philadelphia, was also charged with related violations.

The indictment alleges that the defendants claimed their products, which were designed to inhibit odor-causing and stain-causing bacteria, fungi, and algae, could kill SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

The alleged false marketing occurred during the pandemic, when public demand for disinfectants and virus-killing products surged.

In March 2021, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ordered ViaClean to stop marketing its BioProtect RTU product with claims it could kill coronavirus and other pathogens. The agency warned that the pesticide was not registered for public health use and that improperly marketed products “may cause injury to consumers.”

At the time, the agency said some distributors and cleaning services were also making unsubstantiated claims that the product could protect against viruses, bacteria, or the novel coronavirus for up to 90 days.

Prosecutors said the claims were false and misleading, and that all defendants violated the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) by selling products with claims that differed from their approved labels.

Young and Storrie made their initial appearances in federal magistrate court in Philadelphia on Tuesday afternoon. ViaClean Technologies, LLC is scheduled for its first appearance on September 5.