Florida resident Andrew J. Strempler, former owner of Mediplan Health Consulting Inc., a Canadian company that operated under the name RxNorth.com, has been sentenced to 48 months in prison for his role in a scheme to defraud consumers purchasing pharmaceuticals online.
According to court documents, the FDA advised Strempler in a 2001 letter that his prescription drug sales would be illegal in the United States if the drugs were not FDA approved. The FDA letter explained that the FDA approves drugs based on evidence that they are safe and effective, and that the quality of drugs from foreign sources could not be assured.
Strempler and his co-conspirators unlawfully enriched themselves by selling prescription drugs to individuals in the United States, falsely representing that RxNorth was selling safe prescription drugs in compliance with regulations in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Strempler obtained the prescription drugs from various other source countries without properly ensuring the safety or authenticity of the drugs. In fact, some of the drugs sold by Strempler included counterfeit drugs.
Strempler caused prescription drugs from foreign countries to be shipped to a facility that Strempler operated in the Bahamas. Prescription orders made through RxNorth were then filled at the Bahamas facility, with labels on the vials and drug cartons stating they had been filled by RxNorth in Canada. Strempler then used indirect routes involving multiple countries to ship packages with prescription drugs from the Bahamas to individuals in the United States. Shipments mailed from the Bahamas, containing packages addressed to individuals in the Southern District of Florida, included counterfeit prescription drugs.
“Counterfeit prescription drugs sold through the internet pose a serious health hazard to consumers in the United States,” said Wifredo A. Ferrer, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. “These drugs can be adulterated, ineffective, and unsafe. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to assisting the FDA enforce regulations to protect American consumers from these unsafe drugs.”
Strempler was also ordered to pay a forfeiture of $300,000. A hearing to determine the amount of restitution has been scheduled for February 26, 2013.
Related Federal Cases
- Juan A. Tony Marrero, Medicare Fraud Scheme, Florida 2023 · Florida
- Juan A. Tony Marrero, Medicare Fraud Scheme, Florida 2004 · Florida
- Andrew Terryll Hudson, Distributing Child Pornography, Florida 2014 · Florida
- Armand J. Croteau, IRS Fraud Scheme, Florida 2023 · Florida
- Ileana E. Osborne, Mortgage Fraud Scheme, Florida 2006 · Florida
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Cybercrime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
