Two brothers from Tennessee who tried to profit off the public health crisis surrounding the coronavirus pandemic by stockpiling hand sanitizer and reselling it for a higher price online decided to donate the bottles to charity.
Matt and Noah Colvin cleared out the stock of hand sanitizer and antibacterial wipes from stores around rural Tennessee and Kentucky. In total, they purchased around 18,000 bottles of hand sanitizer and wipes and then put them for sale on Amazon for between $8 and $70 each.
After Amazon pulled their listings in a crackdown on price gouging, the brothers were featured in an article in the New York Times. The backlash was swift, with some people sending them death threats for trying to profit off the global pandemic.
"It was never my intention to keep necessary medical supplies out of the hands of people who needed them," Matt told the paper. "That's not who I am as a person. And all I've been told for the last 48 hours is how much of that person I am."
The brothers decided that since they can't sell their garage full of hand sanitizer and bacterial wipes, they would donate it all to charity.
With the help of volunteers from a local church, they loaded up a U-Haul truck with two-thirds of their stash, which will be given to people in financial need across the state. The Tennessee Attorney General's office took the final third of their supply and will share it with authorities in Kentucky.
The Colvin brothers may also be in legal trouble. The Tennessee Attorney General's office sent them a cease-and-desist letter and has launched an investigation to determine if they violated the state's laws against price gouging.
"I just want to make clear that donating the sanitizers does not mean they are off the hook legally," Tennessee Attorney General's Office Director Of Communications Samantha Fisher told WRCB. "If evidence establishes they engaged in price gouging, we will seek appropriate penalties."
To keep up to date on the latest news about the coronavirus and to understand what you need to stay safe and healthy, check out the Coronavirus: Fact vs. Fiction podcast from CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta.