NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The State of Tennessee has settled with two brothers accused of buying thousands of bottles of hand sanitizer and then reselling them at an exorbitant amount.
Tennessee Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III said an agreement was reached with Matthew Colvin and Noah Colvin amid allegations of price gouging in violation of the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).
The Colvins bought the products in various stores around Chattanooga and Kentucky. Matt Colvin told the New York Times he listed some of the products at $70 each. The Attorney General's Office then sent the brothers a cease and desist order.
The Colvins cooperated with investigators and surrendered all their supplies, including approximately 17,000 bottles of hand sanitizer, to a nonprofit organization in Tennessee. Slatery said they also agreed to distribute of a portion of the supplies to Kentucky.
“Disrupting necessary supplies during an unprecedented pandemic is a serious offense,” said General Slatery. “It became clear during our investigation that the Colvins realized this, and their prompt cooperation and donation led to an outcome that actually benefited some consumers.”
They’re are prohibited from selling emergency or medical supplies in excess of the price usually charged during any “declared state of abnormal economic disruption related to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
