PHOENIX — Two Arizona congressmen are asking for a federal investigation into price gouging of N95 respirator masks.
Reps. Greg Stanton and Ruben Gallego sent a letter today to U.S. Attorney General William Barr and the Federal Trade Commission. They said a vendor for Phoenix's police and fire departments attempted to charge 600 percent more per N95 mask as they did just two weeks ago. The letter also said the vendor asked for partial payment at the time of the order instead of billing upon receipt, which is "standard practice."
The congressmen said they were writing to bring "attention an example of shameful, un-American conduct on the part of a public safety supply vendor that is attempting to gouge prices for first responders in our state."
Gallego and Stanton called the vendor's actions "morally indefensible," and they requested both the Department of Justice and FTC launch price-gouging investigations.
The letter said Phoenix often orders supplies on behalf of several other public safety agencies, and some of those departments are "are days or weeks away from running out of much-needed personal protective equipment."
ABC15's efforts to reach the accused vendor, Galls, LLC, Wednesday night were unsuccessful.
According to the company website, Galls services the needs of law enforcement, military, security, fire, EMS, postal, public transportation and more. Galls also said it offers an extensive selection of products and brands, competitive prices, responsive service, fast deliveries, and seamless ordering.
