New York paid man who tweeted at Trump $69 million for ventilators he never delivered


In late March, New York state paid an electrical engineer in Silicon Valley $69.1 million for 1,450 ventilators that were never delivered, BuzzFeed News reports.
A state official told BuzzFeed News the engineer, Yaron Oren-Pines, "was recommended to us by the White House coronavirus task force because they were doing business with him as well. I think everyone was genuinely trying to help each other out and get supplies."
On March 27, three days after New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said he needed 30,000 ventilators, President Trump tweeted that General Motors and Ford needed to "GET GOING ON VENTILATORS, FAST!" Oren-Pines responded to Trump, saying, "We can supply ICU Ventilators, invasive and noninvasive. Have someone call me URGENT." Oren-Pines works in the mobile phone technology industry, BuzzFeed news reports, and does not appear to have any experience with medical devices or government contracting.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In early March, Cuomo signed an executive order to streamline getting much-needed medical equipment, allowing some payments for ventilators and personal protective equipment to go out before the orders were fulfilled. New York paid Oren-Pines $69.1 million on March 30, with Oren-Pines charging $47,656 for each ventilator — at least triple the price of top-of-the-line devices. This was the largest payment the New York Department of Health has made during the coronavirus pandemic.
With no ventilators ever delivered, the state's contract with Oren-Pines has been terminated, and a spokesperson for the New York Office of General Services told BuzzFeed News "a bulk of the money was returned to the state." Rich Azzopardi, a senior adviser to Cuomo, told BuzzFeed News that New York had "no choice but to overturn every rock to find ventilators and other needed equipment. States were forced to fend for themselves to purchase lifesaving supplies to combat a global pandemic and with all modeling showing a more severe spread of this virus with more hospitalizations and more fatalities."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Trump uses tariffs to upend Brazil's domestic politics
IN THE SPOTLIGHT By slapping a 50% tariff on Brazil for its criminal investigation into Bolsonaro, the Trump administration is brazenly putting its fingers on the scales of a key foreign election
-
3 questions to ask when deciding whether to repair or replace your broken appliance
the explainer There may be merit to fixing what you already have, but sometimes buying new is even more cost-effective
-
'Trump's authoritarian manipulation of language'
Instant Opinion Vienna has become a 'convenient target for populists' | Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Trump set to hit Canada with 35% tariffs
Speed Read The president accused Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney of failing to stop the cross-border flow of fentanyl
-
Mahmoud Khalil files $20M claim over ICE detention
Speed Read This is the 'first damages complaint' brought by an individual targeted by the Trump's administration's 'crackdown' on Gaza war protesters
-
Trump threatens Brazil with 50% tariffs
Speed Read He accused Brazil's current president of leading a 'witch hunt' against far-right former leader Jair Bolsonaro
-
AI scammer fakes Rubio messages to top officials
Speed Read The unknown individual mimicked Rubio in voice and text messages sent to multiple government officials
-
SCOTUS greenlights Trump's federal firings
speed read The Trump administration can conduct mass federal firings without Congress' permission, the Supreme Court ruled
-
New tariffs set on 14 trading partners
Speed Read A new slate of tariffs will begin August 1 on imports from Japan, South Korea, Thailand and more
-
Elon Musk launching 'America Party'
Speed Read The tech mogul promised to form a new political party if Trump's megabill passed Congress
-
Judge blocks Trump's asylum ban at US border
Speed Read The president violated federal law by shutting down the US-Mexico border to asylum seekers, said the ruling