The State of New York, which became the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak, awarded a $69 million contract to a mobile tech company to start manufacturing ventilators.

The problem? The ventilators never arrived.

Yaron Oren-Pines, an electrical engineer from Silicon Valley, pocketed $69.1 million to create the much needed 1,450 ventilators. That would mean that each unit would cost a whopping $47,656, three times the price of a high-end ventilator. Due to the company’s inability to meet the demand, the state had already terminated the contract and is now attempting to retrieve millions of dollars.

According to a spokesperson for the New York Office of General Services, Heather Groll, the “bulk of the money was returned to the state,” although Groll was unable to specify how much of the cash had been returned. “We are in discussions on a few remaining issues,” she added.

The contract was the single-largest payment that was made under the New York Dept. of Health. Rich Azzopardi, the senior adviser to NY Governor Andrew Cuomo, explained that each contract was vetted by a team, who would then evaluate if the company can meet the state’s demand. It remains unclear how Oren-Pines won, specifically since it specializes in mobile phone technology and has no experience in developing medical devices.

However, Buzzfeed News claimed that Oren-Pines was recommended by the White House coronavirus task force. As of the moment, the media outlet was unable to provide solid evidence for its allegations.

Previously, the engineer responded to a tweet by President Donald Trump, encouraging automobile companies, Ford and General Motors, to create much needed ventilators. Despite having no background, Oren-Pines wrote that he could supply both invasive and non-invasive ICU ventilators.

The engineer’s account was moved to private and had also denied commenting on the matter.

Fortunately, despite the million-dollar botched contract, New York did not reach the projected number of infections and fatalities. Early on, President Donald Trump lobbied to manufacture more ventilators, as he feared that the federal government might not be able to provide adequate support for patients suffering from coronavirus.

In fact, USA Today reported that, based on their interviews, no doctors and hospital administrators were able to turn down a patient who needed a ventilator. They did not even have to use the triage, which was supposed to determine the patient who will be prioritized, in case the country hits the worst-case scenario. The media outlet also cites that Trump’s early intervention, such as implementing an economic shutdown and encouraging states to have a stay-at-home order, had massively contributed to the slow spread of coronavirus.

As the CDC warned that the virus might have a deadlier second wave, which would most likely coincide with the flu season, the administration is doing its best to prepare for the sudden resurgence. In fact, the CDC had beefed up its staff while the federal government ordered more than 187,000 ventilators, which will arrive by May 4.