California Man Guilty in Nationwide Prescription Drug Diversion Scheme
In a shocking turn of events, Fernando Galan, a 50-year-old resident of Simi Valley, California, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute prescription drugs without a wholesale license. This conviction comes in connection with the prosecution of a nationwide prescription drug diversion scheme. Galan’s plea was announced by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer, U.S. Attorney Carter M. Stewart of the Southern District of Ohio, Special Agent in Charge Antoinette V. Henry of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations (FDA-OCI) Metro Washington, D.C., Field Office, and Assistant Inspector in Charge Christopher White of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s (USPIS) Cincinnati Field Office.
Galan, a former restaurateur, acted as a middleman in the sale of diverted prescription drugs from Ricardo Jurado, a drug supplier in Miami, to David Miller and his company, Minnesota Independent Cooperative (MIC). Neither Jurado nor Galan was licensed to engage in the wholesale distribution of prescription drugs. The investigation revealed that Galan facilitated the sale of millions of dollars of illegally diverted prescription drugs from July 2007 through October 2012.
According to court documents, Galan forwarded wiring instructions from Jurado directing Miller to send payments to at least 13 different bank accounts. This extensive network of illicit suppliers, including Galan and Konigsberg, sold the prescription drugs obtained through them to wholesale and retail customers throughout the United States, including in the Southern District of Ohio.
The sale of illegally diverted prescription drugs creates unacceptable public health risks, as patients purchased what they believed were FDA-approved prescription drugs that had remained in regulated distribution channels. Instead, these customers received drugs of unknown quality and origin.
Galan and Konigsberg participated in the sale of illegally diverted prescription drugs to David Miller and MIC. Those charges are still pending. Galan is the sixth co-conspirator to plead guilty for his participation in the drug diversion scheme involving Miller and MIC.
Galan is set to be sentenced on [date] and faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. He is currently being held without bail.
Related Federal Cases
- California Man Guilty in $6.5M Prescription Drug Scam · Florida
- Angel Jesus Sanchez-Manriquez, Sex Trafficking of a Child, California 2020 · Washington
- Amgen Inc, Pharmaceutical Misrepresentation, California 2024 · Alaska
- Nicolas Santana Zuniga, Cocaine Importation, California 2023 · Colorado
- Live Nation, Antitrust Lawsuit, New York NY, 2024 · South Carolina
Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
US NewsUS NewsUS NewsUS News