Gao Mei Fang Pleads Guilty to Mail Fraud and Smuggling Charges
DALLAS, TX
Gao Mei Fang, a.k.a. Amy Gao, a 38-year-old supply chain manager for Genabolix USA, Inc. and Shanghai Yongyi Biotechnology Co., Ltd., pleaded guilty to mail fraud and smuggling charges in connection with a scheme to sell mislabeled dietary supplements.
On October 1, 2018, Gao pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David Horan of the Northern District of Texas. She faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years of imprisonment on both the mail fraud and smuggling counts.
Gao was the supply chain manager for Genabolix USA, Inc. and Shanghai Yongyi Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Chinese firms that sell raw ingredients for use in dietary supplements. In pleading guilty, Gao admitted that she agreed to help sell synthetic stimulant ingredients, including the substance known as 1,4-DMAA, to a purported dietary supplement manufacturer in the United States.
According to an indictment returned in October 2017, Gao and two co-defendants agreed with a confidential government informant to either mislabel the synthetic ingredients or otherwise help to hide the true nature of a proposed dietary supplement from retailers. Gao admitted that she knew major American dietary supplement retailers would refuse to carry supplements known to contain certain stimulants, such as DMAA.
Gao also admitted to making false statements to FDA’s import division regarding a shipment of synthetic stimulants entering the United States.
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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