2 Women Suspected of Illegal Marketing in Pitch to Seniors

After an undercover fraud investigation, two saleswomen have been arrested on suspicion of illegally marketing magnetic mattress pads to sick and elderly consumers in Simi Valley.

The arrests of Phyllis Hall, 51, and Nancy Milliken, 36, came moments after the women finished separate sales pitches last month touting the devices as a remedy for ailments ranging from heart disease to impotence.

Neither the state Department of Health Services nor the federal Food and Drug Administration has given magnetic mattress pads marketing approval.

Hall, an Orange County resident, was arrested Monday after speaking before two dozen Simi Valley seniors on the claimed benefits of mattress pads produced by Tennessee-based Magnetic Ideas Inc.

An investigator from the Los Angeles County Department of Consumer Affairs had previously warned Hall her sales pitches were illegal, Ventura County Chief Deputy Investigator Vinse Gilliam said.

Before her presentation, Hall asked whether any of the attendees represented government agencies, Gilliam said.

Hearing no response, she assured the crowd that magnetic pads could help treat ailments such as arthritis, diabetes, asthma, heart disease and impotence, Gilliam said.

Hall was taken into custody following the conclusion of her presentation.

Milliken, a Los Angeles resident, was arrested last month after she gave a presentation in Simi Valley about magnetic mattress pads produced by Florida-based European Health Concepts Inc.

Milliken also described her company’s product as an effective remedy for various health disorders.

Investigators purchased a mattress pad from Milliken for $1,076 before placing her under arrest.

Hall and Milliken are each accused of violating state health and safety codes.

Hall is scheduled to be arraigned Feb. 26, and Milliken on Feb. 19.