“Shark Tank” star Daymond John denied reports that he attempted to sell N95 masks at an inflated price to the state of Florida.
John called the reports “false” and “inaccurate” in a statement shared to social media after the Miami Herald published an article Thursday claiming the “Shark Tank” star attempted to sell masks for $7 a piece to the state of Florida. The masks reportedly sell for under $2 per mask.
Here is the story to read in full, including an embed of the full Twitter statement by Mr. John: https://t.co/ZNvs7fUM4M
— Mary Ellen Klas (@MaryEllenKlas) April 23, 2020
“Today’s Miami Herald story and subsequent reports are false, inaccurate and shows a complete reckless disregard for the truth,” his statement began.
“Let me be clear,” John’s statement continued. “Proper reporting would have shown I did not set any prices and that my team worked with the State of Florida to: 1. Save lives 2. Help vet the overwhelming amount of incoming PPE offerings based on my manufacturing expertise and guide them how to best do this 3. Play a pivotal role to stop pricing gouging, and successfully identify potential fraud and theft of PPE product to protect taxpayers funds.”
John claimed he attempted to help the state of Florida broker a deal for PPE that was worthwhile. (RELATED: REPORT: ‘Shark Tank’ Star Daymond John Allegedly Tried To Sell N95 Masks At An Inflated Price)
“States were not setup to vet and operate global supply chains and sourcing. Many states were forced to blindly wire money to nefarious parties around the world and ultimately never received correct or safe product,” he said in his statement. “My company was serving as an intermediary to vet numerous 3M distributors and to protect Florida taxpayers, while establishing escrow protections that allowed the State to conduct proper due diligence before finalizing its purchase of masks.”
As previously reported, the deal between John and the state of Florida reportedly fell through on April 13.