DES MOINES, IOWA (December 3, 2025) — Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird has 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:
- Mr. Broughton and his companies must fully reimburse 76 Iowans who received injections, an amount equal to $810,477.
- 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.
- The court also permanently prohibited Mr Broughton and his companies from engaging in the same conduct in Iowa again and provided for the reimbursement of the State’s reasonable attorney fees and costs.
“If you come into our state and scam Iowans you will be held accountable,” said AG 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:
- Consult with your trusted health-care professionals before considering an unusual or even new health product or treatment.
- Be suspicious of dramatic and surefire claims that a product is a “scientific breakthrough,” “secret,” “miraculous,” “quick and easy,” or “ancient.” Real medical breakthroughs will not be announced for the first time in paid ads.
- Be skeptical of claims that one product cures a wide range of diseases and/or that there are no downsides, risks, or adverse reactions to using the product.
- Beware of “quick fixes” for conditions, even with legitimate products.
- Don’t put much weight on testimonials, even from celebrities. Many worthless products have been promoted through glowing — but misleading — testimonials.
- Don’t take chances with your health, and do not abandon proven treatments in favor of untested approaches.
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 iowaattorneygeneral.gov/for-consumers/file-a-consumer-complaint.
Read the full ruling here.
