Coronavirus: New York Attorney General demands Alex Jones stops selling untested treatments

The 46-year-old was in the news earlier in the week when he was arrested for a DWI

New York attorney general Letita James has demanded that conspiracy theorist Alex Jones stop selling untested coronavirus treatments.

Mr Jones, the founder of Infowars received a cease-and-desist letter from Ms James’ office on Thursday.

In the letter, the attorney general’s office wrote that they were “extremely concerned” by his claims that his toothpaste, among other products can prevent and cure coronavirus.

“As the coronavirus continues to pose serious risks to public health, Alex Jones has spewed outright lies and has profited off of New Yorkers’ anxieties,” said Ms James.

Mr Jones touted the products on his show last week, but was not the only person to receive a cease-and-desist letter from the attorney general’s office, as four others were sent out this week regarding the selling of fake coronavirus cures or treatments.

One of the letters was sent to televangelist Jim Bakker over the selling over a supposed Covid-19 cure.

The US Food and Drug Administration have not approved any treatments of vaccines and the National Institutes of Health says there is no scientific evidence to suggest alternative remedies can prevent or cure coronavirus.

The 46-year-old was in the news earlier in the week, when he was arrested in Texas on Tuesday for Driving while intoxicated (DWI).

Read more

He was released from custody in Travis County, Texas, shortly after 4am, with bail set at $3,000.

An InfoWars article claimed Mr Jones “admitted to drinking a small amount of sake” at a restaurant, but was below the legal drink-drive limit.

Court records showed that Mr Jones’ blood alcohol level was recorded at 0.076 and 0.079, below the 0.8 limit in Texas.

During his radio show on Tuesday, Mr Jones spoke about the incident, claiming the police officer couldn’t even ”stand on one leg” to prove their sobriety.

Mr Jones’ far-right InfoWars outlet has faced bans from social media sites, including Facebook and YouTube for violating policies, including for spreading conspiracy theories.

Additional reporting by the Associated Press.