Office of Criminal Investigations (OCI) Press Releases RSS Feed

Covetrus Sentenced for Criminal Misbranding of Prescription Drugs

DOJ — Thu, 09 May 2024 15:05:48 EDT

Covetrus North America LLC, a company based in Dublin, Ohio, which sells veterinary products to customers across the United States, was sentenced yesterday to one-year of probation for causing the introduction of misbranded veterinary prescription drugs into interstate commerce. $23M fine

Opioid Manufacturer Endo Health Solutions Inc. Ordered to Pay $1.536B In Criminal Fines and Forfeiture for Distributing Misbranded Opioid Medication

FDA — Fri, 03 May 2024 14:25:14 EDT

Endo Health Solutions Inc. (EHSI) was ordered today to pay $1.086 billion in criminal fines and an additional $450 million in criminal forfeiture — the second-largest set of criminal financial penalties ever levied against a pharmaceutical company —for violations of the FFD&C Act.

Biloxi City Councilman Pleads Guilty to Drug Conspiracy Involving Vape Shops

DOJ — Thu, 09 May 2024 15:06:59 EDT

A Biloxi City Councilman, Robert Leon Deming, III, 47, pled guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a Schedule I controlled substance in U.S. District Court in Gulfport.

Deming founded the Candy Shop, LLC to operate Candy Shop stores in MS and NC and sold CBD and vape products.

Long Island Woman Arrested For Selling Misbranded And Adulterated Weight Loss Drugs, Including Ozempic, On TikTok

DOJ — Thu, 02 May 2024 10:14:23 EDT

From about November 2022 through about November 2023, ISIS NAVARRO REYES, using TikTok, posted dozens of videos about weight loss drugs including, but not limited to, Ozempic, Axcion, and Mesotherapy. Reyes’s alleged unlawful dispensing of these drugs caused significant, life-threatening injuries.

Pharmacy Technician Pleads Guilty to Tampering with Hospital Pain Medication

DOJ — Wed, 01 May 2024 09:16:25 EDT

Moss was employed as a pharmacy technician at Backus Hospital in Norwich. On January 11, 2024, she accessed the secure storage area at the hospital, removing 3 bags of hydromorphone, took a portion of the hydromorphone solution from from each bag for her own use and replaced it with saline.

Anesthesiologist Pleads Guilty to Taking Fentanyl from Hospital

DOJ — Mon, 29 Apr 2024 15:22:04 EDT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – anesthesiologist Roman Peplinski, 37, at a Lee’s Summit, Mo., University Health hospital waived his right to a grand jury and plead guilty in federal court today to illegally taking fentanyl from the hospital via misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception, or subterfuge.

Three Sentenced in International Controlled Substances and Prescription Drug Trafficking Operation

DOJ — Mon, 22 Apr 2024 10:04:37 EDT

Paul Bateman, 47, a citizen of the United Kingdom who previously resided in Laos, was sentenced in the United States District Court following his guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, including the opiates Tapentadol and Tramadol, as well as other drugs that required a Rx.

Dallas Anesthesiologist Convicted of Tampering with IV Bags Linked to Cardiac Emergencies During Routine Surgeries

DOJ — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 12:06:15 EDT

A Dallas anesthesiologist was convicted today for injecting dangerous drugs into patient IV bags, leading to one death and numerous cardiac emergencies, the Justice Department announced. Raynaldo Riviera Ortiz Jr., 60, was charged by criminal complaint in 9/2023, faces up to 190 years in prison.

Ardmore Nurse Sentenced For Tampering With Pain Medication

DOJ — Fri, 12 Apr 2024 12:11:59 EDT

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Rebecca Elaine Holloway, age 33, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 12 months in prison for one count of Tampering with Consumer Products, a violation of Title 18, United Sates Code, Section 1365.

Suburban Chicago Nurse Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Tampering With Patient Medications

DOJ — Thu, 04 Apr 2024 14:57:14 EDT

A suburban Chicago nurse has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for removing morphine prescribed to patients and replacing it with another liquid.

SARAH DIAMOND was employed as the Assistant Director of Nursing at a Chicago-area medical rehabilitation center.

Iowa Nurse Sentenced to Federal Prison after Stealing Pain Medication from At Least 50 New Mothers at Waterloo Hospital

DOJ — Tue, 02 Apr 2024 11:56:22 EDT

One New Mother Suffered “Horrible and Excruciating Pain” as Her Newborn Went Unfed. An Iowa nurse who stole pain medication from at least 50 new mothers at a Waterloo hospital was sentenced on March 27, 2024, in federal court in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Christina Eileen Olson 43 gets one year & one day

Tulare County Man Pleads Guilty to Falsely Marketing Products as Effective in Treating Medical Conditions Including COVID-19

DOJ — Fri, 15 Mar 2024 12:44:09 EDT

According to court documents, beginning on March 30, 2020, Tieu began selling a set of herbal mixtures he called the “Emergency D-Virus Plan of Care” as a COVID-19 treatment. The treatment consisted of a box containing various vials of Golden Sunrise drug products, including one called “Imunstem.”

Generic Pharmaceuticals Manufacturer Pleads Guilty, Agrees to $1.5 Million Criminal Penalty for Distributing Adulterated Drugs and $2 Million to Resolve Civil Liability under the False Claims Act

DOJ — Wed, 06 Mar 2024 12:40:18 EST

Generic Pharmaceuticals Manufacturer Pleads Guilty, Agrees to $1.5 Million Criminal Penalty for Distributing Adulterated Drugs and $2 Million to Resolve Civil Liability under the False Claims Act. KVK Research Inc., a generic drug manufacturer in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty.

Houma Doctor Pleads Guilty to Distributing Misbranded Versions of Injectable Contraceptives to Patients

DOJ — Wed, 06 Mar 2024 10:27:46 EST

April 2018 through March 2023, ANDRE introduced misbranded drugs, including Depo-Provera, into interstate commerce. The Depo-Provera lacked adequate directions for use in its labeling. ANDRE faces a maximum term of up to one year imprisonment and one year of supervised release.

Pennsylvania Family Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Trafficking

DOJ — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 16:14:30 EST

According to court documents, Hadja Franklin, 55, Nabyunissa Bangoura (“Nayunissa”), 34, Tanziludin Bangurah (“Tanziludin”), 52, manufactured counterfeit oxycodone and Xanax in a laboratory in their residence in rural Pennsylvania, which they sold on the darkweb under the moniker “MonPham.”

Former New York Cheese Producer Pleads Guilty in Connection with Raw Milk Products Linked to Listeria Outbreak

DOJ — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 14:45:12 EST

Johannes Vulto and his company, Vulto Creamery LLC, each pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of causing the introduction of adulterated food into interstate commerce. Charges related to cheese that was linked to a 2016-2017 outbreak of listeriosis.

Opioid Manufacturer Endo Health Solutions Inc. Agrees to Global Resolution of Criminal and Civil Investigations into Sales and Marketing of Branded Opioid Drug

DOJ — Mon, 04 Mar 2024 17:02:34 EST

Opioid Manufacturer Endo Health Solutions Inc. Agrees to Global Resolution of Criminal and Civil Investigations into Sales and Marketing of Branded Opioid Drug.

Maine Man Indicted for Lacing Ice Cream with THC at Newmarket Café

DOJ — Mon, 04 Mar 2024 14:48:54 EST

Maine Man Indicted for Lacing Ice Cream with THC at Newmarket Café. Marc Flore, 43, was indicted on one count of tampering with consumer products. Flore will appear in federal court in Concord at a later date.

Former South Florida Pharmacy CEO Sentenced to Prison for Lying to Federal Investigators

DOJ — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 10:27:57 EST

Feb. 23, Patrick Smith, 71, of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, the former CEO and President of Patient Care America (PCA), a compounding pharmacy located in Broward County, was sentenced to 6 months in prison for lying to federal agents who were investigating PCA for various health care fraud offenses.

Family Dollar Stores LLC Pleads Guilty to Holding Consumer Products Under Insanitary Conditions, Agrees to Pay $41.675 Million in Connection with Rodent-Infested Warehouse

DOJ — Tue, 27 Feb 2024 13:02:50 EST

Family Dollar Stores LLC Pleads Guilty to Holding Consumer Products Under Insanitary Conditions, Agrees to Pay $41.675 Million in Connection with Rodent-Infested Warehouse -
Largest Ever Monetary Criminal Penalty in Food Safety Matter. 400 Family Dollar stores in AL, MO, MS, LA, AR, TN