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Spanish Fort Couple Sentenced for Selling Misbranded Drugs and Pesticides
In a shocking case of animal cruelty and public health risk, Richard and Monique Parker, owners of FB McGuinness, were sentenced to a three-year term of probation and a $5,000 fine for selling misbranded drugs and pesticides in Alabama.
According to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama, the Parkers pled guilty to introducing misbranded animal drugs into interstate commerce with the intent to defraud or mislead, operating an unregistered drug establishment, and the sale of unregistered, adulterated, and misbranded pesticides.
The investigation, which was conducted by the FDA, EPA, and FBI, revealed that the Parkers operated a business from their residence in Spanish Fort, Alabama, selling products from a catalogue that included drugs and pesticides mainly focused on the cockfighting industry. The facility was unregistered with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Products purchased from the F.B. McGuinness catalogue were analyzed, and it was found that these items were mislabeled or not as they were advertised. The catalogue included products that the FDA no longer approved for sale in the United States because they contained suspected carcinogens. Additionally, the EPA determined that the Parker’s facility contained pesticides that were inactive or no longer allowed to be marketed in the United States.
The Parkers admitted to producing and packaging drugs and pesticides at their residence for several years, repackaging and relabeling many of the products with false FDA and NADA numbers to give a perception of legitimacy for their customers.
The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama. The Parkers’ business, FB McGuinness, was also ordered to forfeit $100,000.
“Since 2014, the defendants sold to customers across the country over $3 million of products, which included unregistered pesticides without instructions on how to use the product safely,” said Special Agent-in-Charge Chuck Carfagno of EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division in Atlanta. “Today’s sentencing shows that EPA and our law enforcement partners will hold responsible those who violate our pesticide laws and put the public at risk.”
Defendant:
Richard and Monique Parker
Criminal Charges:
Introducing misbranded animal drugs into interstate commerce with the intent to defraud or mislead, operating an unregistered drug establishment, and the sale of unregistered, adulterated, and misbranded pesticides.
City and State:
Spanish Fort, Alabama
Date:
October 2020
Sentence or Outcome:
Three-year term of probation and a $5,000 fine
Dollar Amounts:
$100,000 forfeiture and over $3 million in sales from 2014 to 2020
Key Facts
- State: Alabama
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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