Ohio man who sold N95 masks at high markup to refund money, forfeit masks
COLUMBUS, Ohio - A Chagrin Falls man accused of selling N95 masks at a high markup will be refunding money to those that purchased them.
According to a release from the Ohio Attorney General's Office, Mario F. Salwan sold bulk orders of N95 masks at a rate nearly 1,800 percent more than their normal cost.
The settlement reached between Attorney General Yost' Office and Salwan will see him refund more than $15,000 to those who bought the masks. Salwan will also reimburse the state $1,500 for investigative costs.
"We will continue to make sure no one unjustly profits by exploiting the anxiety of others during this pandemic," Yost said. "The settlement also will provide essential equipment to the heroes – our doctors and nurses – who need it the most."
A lawsuit was filed last week against Salwan alleging that he sold packages of 10 N95 masks to 15 customers with a price range of $360 to $375 during the coronavirus pandemic.
The average price of these masks before the outbreak was around $2 per mask.
In addition to the $15,000 refund, Salwan will also send 570 N95 masks to the Attorney General's office who will then send 560 masks to MetroHealth System in Cleveland and 10 to the health care workers who let the office know of the inflated sales.
"I want to thank Attorney General Yost for his efforts in making sure that these masks are used by front-line personnel," said Dr. Akram Boutros, MetroHealth president and CEO. "Personal protective equipment like this is invaluable in our community's fight against COVID-19 because it keeps all care providers safe while they work tirelessly to keep our patients and our community safe."
With the Ohio-based Battelle company being approved by the FDA to sanitize masks up to 20 times, the 560 masks could be used more 11,000 times
