Hazim Gaber, Counterfeit Cancer Drugs, Arizona 2007

Canadian Man Sentenced to 33 Months in Prison for Selling Counterfeit Cancer Drugs

A 22-year-old Edmonton, Canada resident has been sentenced to 33 months in prison for selling counterfeit cancer drugs using the internet, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division. Hazim Gaber, 22, was sentenced to 33 months in prison for selling counterfeit cancer drugs using the internet.

According to the indictment, Gaber was charged with five counts of wire fraud for selling counterfeit cancer drugs through the website DCAdvice.com. Gaber was arrested on July 25, 2009, in Frankfurt, Germany, and was extradited to the United States on December 18, 2009. At his plea hearing in May 2010, Gaber admitted selling what he falsely claimed was the experimental cancer drug sodium dichloroacetate, also known as DCA, to at least 65 victims in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Belgium and the Netherlands between October and November 2007.

Gaber also admitted to selling more than 800 pirated copies of business software between February 2007 and December 2008. As part of the plea agreement, Gaber agreed to forfeit or cancel any website, domain name or Internet services account related to this fraud scheme.

“Hazim Gaber went from selling false hope to cancer patients to now spending 33 months in a U.S. prison,” said Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division. “Criminals often seek to exploit the most vulnerable of victims - but offering fake, unapproved medication to cancer patients reaches a new low. Today’s sentence shows that cyber criminals who prey on the seriously ill cannot elude justice simply by committing crimes outside of our borders.”

“Gaber used the Internet to victimize people already suffering from the effects of cancer,” said Dennis K. Burke, U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona.  “Now he will go to prison for this bogus business and heartless fraud.”

The court also ordered Gaber to pay a $75,000 fine, as well as $53,724 in restitution, and to serve three years of supervised release following his prison term. According to the plea agreement, Gaber charged $23.68 for 10 grams of the purported DCA, $45.52 for 20 grams or $110.27 for 100 grams, plus shipping. In actuality, Gaber admitted he sent victims a white powdery substance that was later determined through laboratory tests to contain starch, dextrin, dextrose or lactose, and contained no DCA.

Gaber was indicted by a federal grand jury in Phoenix on June 30, 2009, on five counts of wire fraud. He pleaded guilty to the charges in May 2010. The sentencing hearing took place on May 2010 in Phoenix, Arizona.

Gaber’s crime is a stark reminder of the dangers of counterfeit cancer drugs. Cancer patients seeking treatments online may be tempted to buy counterfeit drugs, which can be deadly. The case also highlights the importance of international law enforcement cooperation in combating cybercrime.

According to court documents, along with the counterfeit DCA, the packages also contained a fraudulent certificate of analysis from a fictitious laboratory and instructions on how to dilute and ingest the bogus DCA. DCA is an experimental cancer drug that has not yet been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in the United States.

Gaber will serve his 33-month sentence in a U.S. prison. When released, he will be subject to three years of supervised release. He is also ordered to pay a $75,000 fine and $53,724 in restitution.

Gaber’s case is a testament to the commitment of law enforcement agencies to combating cybercrime and protecting vulnerable victims.

The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/canadian-man-sentenced-33-months-prison-selling-counterfeit-cancer-drugs-using-internet