“Not guilty” plea in rape-by-drug

A plea of “not guilty” was entered Friday by a Garden Grove man who is accused of raping an unconscious family member after a night of drinking. Francisco Albert Giron, 35, made his plea in West Justice Center in Westminster.

Giron is facing a felony charge of rape by the use of drugs on July 14, 2019. Police say that the suspect had gone to a party with family members at a nightclub and returned home. He allegedly took the victim into a bedroom where the assault took place.

His next court appearance is set for June 26 in Westminster.

Fake coronavirus pills lead to indictment

A Huntington Beach man accused of creating an investment scheme to market phony vaccines and treatments for coronavirus and COVID-19 was indicted on 11 counts of wire fraud Friday in Los Angeles.

Keith Lawrence Middlebrook, 53, allegedly sought investors for Quantum Prevention CV Inc. for a preventative and cure for the infections behind the current pandemic, according to the United States Attorney’s office for the Central District of California.

He allegedly falsely claimed that basketball legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson was on his company’s board of directors. An undercover federal agent posing as a potential investor arrested Middlebrook. The suspect met the agent to deliver the bogus pills.

One count of wire fraud carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.

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