A Los Angeles pharmacist has been charged with price gouging during the coronavirus pandemic after allegedly selling KN95 masks at $10 each, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced Thursday.
Katrin Golian, a 38-year-old licensed pharmacist, faces a misdemeanor charge while doing business as RxAll Pharmacy.
The California Department of Justice began investigating Golian after a consumer complaint.
The investigation revealed that Golian purchased the masks at $5 each and was selling them for $10, in violation of a statewide executive order on price gouging signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on April 4.
Special agents warned Golian that she was violating the executive order and she agreed to reduce the price of the masks.
But several days later, when the agents returned, she was still selling the masks at the unlawful price, officials said.
Golian later sold undercover agents two masks at the increased price, according to a criminal complaint.
Officials explained that it is unlawful to disobey any order issued under the Emergency Services Act in California, and violation can result in a misdemeanor charge, jail time and/or a fine of up to $1,000.
“Katrin Golian knew the rules and willingly chose to sell masks at elevated prices that violate our state’s price gouging prohibition,” Becerra said in a news release. “The Department of Justice relies on all Californians to be vigilant in detecting price gouging. If you see something suspicious, or if you are a victim of price gouging, file a complaint with our office at oag.ca.gov/report. The more you report, the more we can stop this abuse.”