'Shark Tank' star Daymond John with net worth of $300M bashed for selling N95 masks at inflated prices
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, many states in the United States were in need of protective gear that would help healthcare workers on the frontlines but that has led to a completely new business.
Daymond John, known for his appearance on 'Shark Tank', has now been found to be among the people that tried to sell N95 masks to Florida with an inflated price during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Miami Herald reported that the 'Shark Tank' star and CEO of the Shark Group had said that he would be able to get the state 1 million masks from China for $7 per mask - this was an increase from the initial price of less than $2 that the masks originally sell for. With the state desperate after deals to acquire masks had fallen though, director of the Florida Department of Emergency Management, Jared Moskowitz had agreed to John's terms. “This was not somebody off the street, this was Daymond John. He came to me and said, ‘I’ve been in the clothing business. I have connections with factories in China,'" Moskowitz told the outlet.
Matters seemed to escalate when after the deal had fallen through on April 13, 3M the company that makes the N95 masks had scrutinized the inflated price deal among many other deals of the same nature. "3M is not aware of how the Shark Group would gain access to our respirators as it is not an authorized distributor of 3M products or one of our channel partners. 3M list prices, which are published on our website, are far lower than what appears to have been offered to the State of Florida. 3M is filing lawsuits in cases where third parties use the company’s name, brand or trademark to engage in price gouging of N95 respirators and other illegal and unethical behavior. We have no knowledge of whether that occurred in this situation. We are happy, though, to assist law enforcement authorities if they wish to look into this matter," read a statement from 3M provided to Fox News.
While reps for the Shark group were mum on the subject, fans were gunning for John's head disgusted as to why a man so rich would need to sell a product so desperately needed by the people at an inflated price. "@daymondjohn my opinion if you fell into the garbage after your selfish attempt to gouge on n-95 masks. You now sicken me," tweeted a user.
"Daymond John is no better than the guy who bought cases of hand sanitizer & tried to sell it out of his garage at inflated rates He’s actually worse. He’s already filthy rich," tweeted another user.
John is an American businessman, author, motivational speaker, and investor from Brooklyn. The man's deep pockets are no secret considering he is widely known as the founder, CEO, and president of FUBUm['For Us, By Us"], the founder of New York-based The Shark Group and appears on 'Shark Tank' as one of the investors. Currently, in the year 2020, John's net worth is estimated to be approximately $300 million.
John is a highly acclaimed businessman having won awards such as 'Brandweek Marketer of the Year' and twice winning the 'NAACP Entrepreneurs of the Year' along with starring in television series such as 'The Game' and 'The Real' and in films such as 'The Crow: Wicked Prayer' and 'Sharknado 2.'
It seems as though after the release of this news, he may lose the respect he has worked hard to attain over the years. "Your rich.. Why wouldn't you just donate them??? Shame on you!!!," tweeted another upset user.
"@ABCSharkTank @TheSharkDaymond @kevinolearytv Daymond John, aka MR GREED! How disgusting to capitalize & boost the price of the most vital needs, MASKS TO SURVIVE, what a despicable act! #SharkTank #fraudtank," tweeted another user.