Staff Photo by Robin Rudd / Online merchant, Matt Colvin, is been the subject of controversy since the New York Times did a story on his selling of hand sanitizer. Mr. Colvin was photographed on March 14, 2020.Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery says he has ordered two Hixson brothers, Matt and Noah Colvin, to stop buying and selling medical goods and products due to potential price-gouging activities amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Slatery, who is working with Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, said that in addition to issuing a cease-and-desist order, he has launched an investigation into the brothers’ activities after news accounts that the Colvins built up a huge stash of hand sanitizer, antibacterial wipes and face masks for resale and hoped to profit from consumer-panic buying.
“We will not tolerate price gouging in this time of exceptional need, and we will take aggressive action to stop it,” Slatery said in a news release. “During this pandemic, we ask that you report suspicious activity to the Division of Consumer Affairs and refrain from threatening or hostile communication with individuals or businesses you may suspect are price gouging.”
That was apparently a reference to a Chattanooga Times Free Press article Saturday in which Matt Colvin said he had received death threats after he appeared in a New York Times article about purchasers seeking to profit amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Slatery said his office “will review complaints closely and we are prepared to act to protect Tennesseans.”