Doctor imprisoned for U.S. Capitol riot accused of misusing millions in funds from anti-vax group

An American doctor who went to prison for her role in the January 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection is now being sued by the anti-COVID vaccine group she founded and accused of misusing millions of dollars in organization funds for lavish personal spending. Dr. Simone Gold, a California doctor and co-founder of America’s Frontline Doctors—a nonprofit organization that spread misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines and promoted unproven treatments such as ivermectin and hydroxychloroloquine—spent 60 days in federal prison after she pleaded guilty in June to trespassing in the Capitol. The lawsuit against her, filed November 4 in federal court, alleges that she used American’s Frontline Doctors money to buy a US$3.6-million mansion in Florida, several luxury cars, and trips on private jets, according to a Medscape News article. Read: Physician with 'great bedside manner' sentenced to four years in prison The complaint describes Dr. Gold as a “rogue founder” who racked up almost US$50,000 for personal expenses on the organization’s credit cards. It also claims that after she got out of prison, she tried to reassert control of the group and that she took over the website and fraudulently represented herself as the organization’s director. Dr. Gold had resigned from the group’s board in February to pursue a plan to open health and wellness centres across the country, said the lawsuit. The board agreed to have her serve as a consultant, for which she wanted a monthly fee of US$50,000 plus a signing bonus of US$1.5 million. A press release on the organization’s website claimed the lawsuit was filed by a “disgruntled board member” and stated that, as of November 8, Dr. Gold continued to “direct board investigation and formal response to recent legal complaint based on demonstrably false claims.” Read: Mutiny charge withdrawn as military officer apologizes for anti-vaccine comments On the same day the press release was posted, a federal judge denied a request for an injunction—filed by the same group behind the lawsuit—that would have prevented Dr. Gold “from gaining access and use of charitable funds for her own personal benefit and from trying to illegally and fraudulently wrest control away” from the organization’s “rightful board of directors.” America’s Frontline Doctors gained notoriety in the early days of the pandemic when its members—dressed in white lab coats—stood in front of the U.S. Supreme Court and criticized mask-wearing while promoting hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID. After the video went viral, the organization gained a large following and raised large sums of money through donations and by referring people to a virtual care site where they could get prescriptions for off-label use of hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin. Read: The fault in our stars: Aaron Rodgers reminds us why celebrity shouldn’t trump science

Doctor imprisoned for U.S. Capitol riot accused of misusing millions in funds from anti-vax group

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