A New Jersey businessman pleaded guilty to selling disinfectant wipes – including to the U.S. government — that he falsely swore could kill off the coronavirus, netting him $2.7 million, prosecutors said.

Paul Andrecola, 63, was convicted Thursday on charges he took advantage of more than 75 desperate customers at the start of the pandemic who thought they were getting cleaning products that would protect them from the deadly virus, according to the the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey.

“Paul Andrecola’s scheme profited on the fears of the American people during the height of concerns about transmission of COVID-19,” US Attorney Paul Sellinger said in a statement. “Our office is dedicated to protecting public health and prosecuting to the full extent of the law those who commit such egregious criminal acts.”

Andrecola, who owns two Mount Laurel companies and works for a third, manufactured sanitizer and wipes that were not approved by the Environmental Protection Agency, which determines if a pesticide can effectively kill a virus, including COVID, the US Attorney’s Office said.

He went to great lengths to make it seem like he had the EPA stamp of approval by placing another company’s EPA registration numbers on his company’s products and using other false documents to try to back up his claims, the feds said.

“Andrecola not only cheated dozens of people out of millions of dollars, but also endangered the health of those who relied on his fraudulent virucidal products,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division.

From March 2020 to May 2021, he secured more than 150 sales, including to a Delaware police department, Virginia fire department, Georgia medical clinic, New York janitorial supply company and a Wisconsin school system.

He also deceived federal entities like the U.S. Marshal’s Service, Moody Air Force Base, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the National Forest Service

The federal conviction is the largest pandemic fraud case connected to unregistered pesticides nationwide, authorities said.

Andrecola, who lives in Burlington County, pleaded guilty to a count each of knowingly distributing or selling an unregistered pesticide, wire fraud and presenting false claims to the United States.

As part of his plea agreement, he’ll forfeit the $2.74 million he made from the fraudulent sales. He could face more than 20 years in federal prison, as well as getting slapped with more fines in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

His sentencing will take place Oct. 11, 2022.