Attorney General Brenna Bird Secures Victory Against Scam Stem Cell Treatment Company

DES MOINES—Attorney General Brenna Bird today announced a victory in the case against Travis Broughton and his Omaha-based stem cell companies Omaha Stem Cells, LLC and Regenerative Medicine and Anti-Aging Institutes of Omaha, LLC. The court has agreed that Mr. Broughton and his companies tricked vulnerable Iowans searching for relief from their ailments by marketing and selling them unproven umbilical cord stem cell injections. Mr. Broughton and his companies operated in Iowa generally from 2018 to 2020. The court found Mr. Broughton and his companies liable for approximately $1 million as follows: 

• The court assessed the maximum penalty of $40,000 for all violations of the law the court found, a total of $160,000. 

• The law allows an enhanced penalty up to $5,000 for each violation when violations are committed against older Iowans, and the court imposed the maximum enhanced penalty amount for a total of $20,000.  

“If you come into our state and scam Iowans you will be held accountable,” said Attorney General Bird. “We are grateful for the court's decision in this case where a snake oil salesman preyed on vulnerable Iowans who desperately needed a cure and relief and used that against them for profit. It’s disgusting and wrong. We fight to make sure that these con artists are held responsible.” 

This lawsuit accused Mr. Broughton and his companies of deceptively promoting umbilical cord stem cell treatments as cures for a range of health disorders, including COPD, joint pain, Alzheimer’s disease, and aging. The fake treatments were referred to as “regenerative medicine,” as Mr. Broughton and his companies specifically targeted older Iowans and used testimonial videos to mislead Iowans in sales seminars that touted the effectiveness of the treatments. 

Tips for Iowans to avoid healthcare scams: 

• Be suspicious of dramatic and surefire claims that a product is a “scientific breakthrough,” “secret,” “miraculous,” “quick & easy,” or “ancient.” Real medical breakthroughs will not be announced for the first time in paid ads. 

Any Iowan who was a victim of these scam stem cell treatments should contact the Iowa Attorney General’s office at 1-888-777-4590 or online at https://www.iowaattorneygeneral.gov/for-consumers/file-a-consumer-complaint. 

Read the full ruling here.  

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